Ideas are the foundation of society and invention. Without them we would forever be held in a state of stagnation. There are many people in our society today who's ideas would have been considered radical, impossible, and unpractical twenty-five hundred years ago. During this time period there was another thinker named Socrates. His ideas and values were seen as contradicting to the culture he lived in.
His culture was based on relativism. The major group that preached this idea were the Sophists. Socrates felt that they had no insights in to what really mattered in life. He wanted to ask questions about the overall idea of life, rather than personal achievement and advancement in society. He was concerned with with the purpose of life, what values one should live by, and how to improve ones character. These were just a few of the basic ideas he often contemplated. The sophist however, were more concerned about succeeding in politics and persuasive speaking (Perry, 61).
Portrait of Socrates. Marble, Roman artwork (1st c...
Socrates Carnelian Gem Imprint Rome, 1stBCE1stCE.
English: Bust of Socrates in the Vatican MuseumA byproduct of Socrates' ideals was an undermining of religion according to his society. He believed that there were ideals higher than God and no one could change them. An effect of these concepts was his own execution. He wascharged with "corrupting the young men of the city... replacing the city's gods with 'gods' of his own" (Plato, 3). After Socrates went to trial he was found guilty. He was then in the end killed because of his idea of universal truths.
In Greek society religion must have played a very important role if someone was killed because of a disagreement with it. Why was religion so important to the Greeks? One of the main reasons was:The Greek polis also had begun has a religiousinstitution, in which the citizens sought to maintainan alliance with their...