Socrates was originally a sculptor, and later devoted himself to education and research, taking it as his duty to cultivate the perfect morality of young people. He advocates that only those who know have virtue can govern the country, and emphasizes that "virtue means knowledge". The object of knowledge is "goodness" and knowledge is respectable, but it is not instilled in people from outside, and people's hearts are born. Education is to induce people's innate and potential knowledge and virtue. He also first invented and used the question-and-answer teaching method characterized by teachers and students talking together, asking questions and acquiring knowledge.
Socrates put forward many valuable ideas in his life, but he didn't have any works. His words and deeds are dialogues compiled by disciples Plato and others.
Be studious and thoughtful.
Socrates was born in Kai village of Haloppe near Athens in 469 BC. Father Sofroni Sco is a sculptor and mother Faina Ritter is a midwife. Socrates was born in an ugly and poor family. His father decided that he wouldn't have much promise, so he chose a life path for him, taught himself sculpture and became a stonemason.
Although Socrates was ugly, he was smart and studious, and soon became a very capable sculptor. He created a group of sculptures called "Three Sisters of Joy", which were once placed on the Acropolis.
Socrates' father died before he came of age. Fortunately, a kind Athenian sponsored him and gave him a chance to learn after carving. Since then, Socrates has seen a new world, and the road of life has undergone fundamental changes, leaving the circle of being a stonemason designed by his father. During this time, he consulted all kinds of learned people at that time, browsed the works of ancient philosophers that he might see, and listened to the lecture of Anaxagoras, a great philosopher at that time. At the same time, he studied music and poetry. Many aspects of education have greatly enriched Socrates' spirit. At the age of 20, he learned about nature from Algera Yus, a disciple of Anaxagoras. Young Socrates likes to think and explore, trying to understand many natural problems, such as how a thing was created and how it was destroyed; The element people think about is blood, air or water; Whether the ground is flat or round and so on. Teachers have answers to these questions, but Socrates is not satisfied with the answers. He tried to explain himself, but he felt powerless. Therefore, he thinks that it is meaningless to study nature and exclude it from people's understanding. At the age of 30, he turned his attention from the sky to the ground and became a social morality teacher who didn't get paid or run a library.
Socrates often thinks more deeply than ordinary people, with a unique angle and thorough reasoning, which makes you have to admit that he is right. Once, Socrates met a man who was angry because he saluted others but didn't get anything in return, and said to him, "This is simply too strange. You won't be angry when you meet an ugly person, but you will feel uncomfortable when you meet a rude person. " One man said that his food was tasteless. Socrates said that he knew a good cure for this disease. Asked what his prescription was, he replied, "Don't eat it, so you will live a happier life, save money and be better."
One day, Socrates saw a man severely punishing his servant and asked him why he treated his servant like this. The man said, because your servant is lazy, stupid and greedy. After hearing this answer, Socrates asked, "So have you considered who should be beaten more, you or your servant?"
These trivial things seem ordinary, but they are related to the insatiable desires of many people at that time; Many nobles are satisfied with pleasure, but they don't know the reality of satisfaction, which shows that Socrates' thought is keen and profound.
Friends of youth
Socrates likes to associate with young people and hopes that young people can get a good education. He believes that after receiving education, a person will not only be happy, manage his own family affairs well, but also make others and the polis happy. He often gives different education to young people according to different situations. Socrates told those who despise learning because of superior genetic conditions that the more talented they are, the more they should be educated. This is like a fierce and unruly thoroughbred horse. If trained from an early age, it will become the strongest and bravest swift horse. Otherwise, it will always be difficult to control. If a person has a low education level, the stronger his will, the easier it is to commit crimes. Socrates taught those who boast of their wealth that they don't need education, and wealth will satisfy their wishes and bring them happiness. Only a fool would think so. He pointed out that happiness lies not in wealth, but in knowledge and contribution to mankind. Only in this way can people gain their respect.
It is said that Plato's cousin Ge Laokong, when he was less than 20 years old, longed to be the leader of the city-state government and gave a speech to many people with great honor and intelligence. It stands to reason that it is not a bad thing for a young man to have such an ideal. Unfortunately, Ge Laokong lacks knowledge and talent in this field. Everyone in the family knows that he is ambitious, daydreaming. I'm afraid he rushed into the forum rashly and was dragged down by others, leaving a laughing stock. But no one can persuade him not to do so. Socrates knew about it, and in view of his relationship with Plato, he decided to enlighten the young man.
One day, Socrates saw Ge Laokong coming face to face and shouted at a distance. "Hey, Ge Laokong, I heard that you are determined to be the leader of our polis. Is this true? " In order to make Ge Laokong happy to listen to his own words, Socrates deliberately pretended to be very enthusiastic and chose the topic that Ge Laokong was most interested in.
"yes. I really think so, Socrates. " Ge Laokong replied.
"That's great. If there is any good thing in the world, it is another good thing. Because, if your goal can be achieved, you will get what you want; You will be able to help your friends; Make a name for your family and win glory for your motherland; When your fame spreads all over the city, it will spread all over Greece and even abroad. At that time, no matter where you go, you will be admired by people. "
Sure enough, Ge Laokong was very happy and stopped to talk to Socrates.
Seeing Glaucon stay, Socrates went on to say, "Glaucon, it seems obvious that if you want people's respect, you must contribute to the polis."
"Just like you said." Ge Laokong replied.
So Socrates asked Ge Laokong to talk about his plans to make contributions. When Ge Laokong was thinking, Socrates asked him if he wanted to make the polis rich first, and the way to get rich was to increase taxes. Ge Laokong agreed. Socrates asked again, where does the tax come from? What's the total? What is the supplementary source of emptiness? Ge Laokong replied that he had not considered these issues. Subsequently, Socrates asked his views on issues that must be considered in governing the country, such as spending reduction, national defense forces, national defense strategies, and food supply. Ge Laokong either didn't consider the answer, or he couldn't say it clearly, or he didn't have to take care of it himself.
Seeing Ge Laokong's predicament, Socrates further enlightened him and said: "The state and the family are harmonious. The country has a large population, and some problems are really hard to say, but if you can help a family, you can start helping more people. Why don't you try to improve your uncle's welfare? "
Ge Laokong said, "As long as my uncle will listen to my advice, I will definitely help them."
Socrates smiled; "Why? You can't even convince your uncle. Do you still want all Athenians, including your uncle, to listen to your advice? Be careful, young man. You want to be famous, but don't do the opposite! Look at the reality, in all things, those who are respected and praised are the most knowledgeable people. On the contrary, they are the most ignorant people. If you really want to be famous and praised in the polis, you should try your best to get the widest knowledge about what you want to do. Because only in this way can you surpass others; When dealing with affairs, you will easily get what you expect. "
Ge Laokong, who is proud and determined to be a leader, was persuaded.
Beauty and Aesthetic Education
In Socrates' eyes, there is no beauty or ugliness in anything, only the usefulness is the real beauty. No matter how beautiful things are, on the surface, they have no practical use and are not beautiful.
Ali stipe once asked what is good. Socrates asked him if he was interested in the specific use of these things. When told no, he replied, "What you asked me is not good for anything, so I have to say that I don't know and I don't want to know." Aristides asked what is beauty, and Socrates said that there are many kinds of beauty, and many things are very different from each other. For example, the beauty of wrestlers is different from that of runners; The beauty of the defensive shield is different from the beauty of javelin that is easy to throw quickly and violently. After listening to this answer, Aristipus felt no different from the previous good answer. Socrates told him that beauty and reconciliation are the same thing. The same thing, everything is beautiful. Virtue, for example, cannot be said to be good for some things and beautiful for others. Similarly, for the same thing, people are both beautiful and good. The human body is both beautiful and good for the same thing, and what ordinary people use is also beautiful and good for it. Alisteps asked, "So, is the dung basket beautiful, too?" Socrates replied that as long as it is practical, the dung basket is also beautiful; Not practical, even the golden shield is ugly.
"You mean the same thing is both beautiful and ugly?" Ali Stephens asked again.
"yes. That's what I said-good and bad. Because some things are good for hunger and not necessarily good for fever. What is beautiful to a runner may be ugly to a wrestler. Because everything that suits you is beautiful and good, and everything that doesn't suit you is ugly and bad. "
Socrates often discussed their crafts with painters, sculptors and craftsmen. He said that a sculptor should express his inner activities through form, and the maker of the name tag should make the name tag appropriate. Socrates also has his own views on painting. The following is a conversation between him and the painter Parasias, which also reflects his practical aesthetic point of view.
Sue: Palacia, isn't painting a manifestation of what we see? In any case, you painters always faithfully depict low and high, dark and bright, hard and soft, rough and smooth, fresh and ancient things through various colors.
Palmer: You're right.
Sue: Also, when you describe beautiful characters, because it is not easy to be perfect in all aspects of a person, you extract the most beautiful parts from many characters, thus making the whole image you created look extremely beautiful.
Palmer: Indeed, that's exactly what we did.
Sue: So, do you also describe the characteristics of the mind, that is, the most exciting, happy, desirable and lovely characteristics? Or is this character indescribable?
Palmer: Ah, Socrates, how can you describe something that is unmeasurable, colorless, completely invisible and without any of the characteristics you just mentioned?
Sue: So, can you tell from a person's eyes whether he likes or hates others?
Palmer: I think so.
Prosecution; So can this situation be described on the eyes?
Palmer: Of course.
Sue: As for the situation of friends, do you think those who care about them and those who don't care about them are the same expression?
Palmer: Of course not. Because they are all happy for their friends' good situation and sad for their friends' bad situation.
Sue: So, can you show this situation?
Palmer: Of course.
Su: Besides, happiness and generosity, meanness and intolerance, temperance and sobriety, arrogance and ignorance, whether a person is still or active, will be shown through their looks and manners.
Palmer: You're right.
Sue: I see. These can also be described.
Palmer: There is no doubt about it.
Sue: So, do you think people prefer to see pictures that reflect beautiful, kind and lovely people, or those that show ugly, evil and disgusting images?
Palmer: Socrates, there is indeed a big difference between the two.
The famous "midwife" technique
Socrates' mother is a midwife. He followed his mother to other people's homes to deliver babies, help deliver equipment and help. This life experience left a deep impression on Socrates. Later, he was inspired by midwifery and founded an educational method. He called it "midwifery".
In Athens at that time, it was generally believed that wisdom was innate. Socrates believes that knowledge and virtue can be acquired through education, and the only difficulty is the lack of people who understand the concept of virtue and can teach it to others. Although he thinks he is not wise enough to teach others, he is willing to do his duty as a social moral teacher. Always associate with young people and educate them. In practice, Socrates formed a set of very unique educational methods, and its basic principle is: answering questions must be very concise, crisp and crisp. Answer the other person's questions, don't ask other questions, and don't object to the other person's questions. Two people can take turns asking questions, but both sides agree. This method contains dialectical color, which can help the other party to correct their wrong ideas and produce new art. The whole process is like a midwife helping a pregnant woman give birth to a baby. It is divided into four steps. One is sarcasm, that is, by constantly asking questions, let the other party fall into contradiction and admit that they know nothing about this problem. The second is midwifery, that is, helping the other party to abandon fallacies and let the other party find 5U correct and universal things. In other words, it is to help the production of truth. Socrates once said to his friend: My mother is a midwife, and I learned midwifery from her. The difference is that she is a physical midwife and I am an intelligent midwife. The third is induction, that is, to find the essence of * * * from individual things, and to find the universal virtue through the analysis and comparison of individual good deeds. The fourth is definition, which is to generalize a single concept into something general. There is a story that vividly reflects the application process of this method.
One day, Socrates and a very conceited young man named Su Yu Deimos discussed whether people need to study and whether they need to invite teachers when studying. There is a passage about justice and injustice. Socrates wrote δ and α (Greek initials for justice and injustice, respectively), and then asked: Where should hypocrisy be placed? You: Obviously, it should be put on the unjust side. Sue, what about cheating? You: Of course, the unjust party. Sue: What about stealing? Y: same as above. Sue: What about slavery? Especially; This is also the case. Sue: It seems that none of this can stand on the side of justice. You: It would be strange if we put them on the side of justice. Prosecution; Then, if a person elected as a general leads troops to enslave an unjust enemy country, can he be said to be unjust? Y: of course not. Sue: So his behavior is just? Especially; It's sue; What if he cheated the enemy to fight? You: It is also just. Sue: If he steals and robs the enemy's property, isn't what he did just?
Y: not bad. But at first I thought all the questions were about our friends.
Sue: So, can the injustice we put forward also be included in justice?
Y: it seems so.
Sue: So, shall we draw a new line for it? This kind of thing is just for the enemy, but unjust for the friend. Do you agree?
Y: I totally agree.
Sue, then when the war failed and no one helped, the generals found their morale low and lied to them that reinforcements were coming, which boosted their morale. Where should this deception be put?
You: I think we should dare to stand on the side of justice.
Sue: The child is ill and refuses to take medicine. His father tricked him into giving him medicine for dinner, and the child would be fine. Where should this deception be put?
Especially; I think this is also the right thing to do.
Prosecution; Another example is that a person wants to commit suicide, and his friend steals his sword to protect him. Where should this behavior be put?
Y: same as above.
Prosecution; But didn't you say you should be honest with your friends at all times?
Y: It seems that I was wrong. With your permission, I want to take back what I said. (Xenophon; Memoirs, Volume 4, Chapter 2)
The essence of "midwifery" is to stimulate students' active thinking activities, thus consciously acquiring knowledge, which is helpful to cultivate students' analytical ability, reasoning ability and generalization ability. But it also has great limitations, because it is only suitable for what people know, not for the unknown.
Socrates' "midwifery" (also known as "question-and-answer teaching method") had a great influence on the teaching thought of later generations and became the beginning of western heuristic teaching. Since it came out, it has been widely adopted by schools all over the world.
Noble character
Socrates is not only profound in educational thought, but also noble in character. He lived a very frugal life. No matter spring, summer, autumn and winter, he always walks barefoot all the year round. He is not afraid of the cold. He can walk barefoot on the ice even in the snow and ice. In the March, he was more tolerant of hunger than others. He doesn't usually drink, but when he drinks, he can drink better than anyone else. He is poor, but he does not suffer from poverty. What he pursues is to live a noble life.
Socrates not only advocated a noble life, but also practiced it. He loves his motherland. He participated in the Peloponnesian War three times and fulfilled the duty of Athenian citizens to defend the motherland. In the battle, he showed courage and composure, and risked his life several times to save his companion's life and carry the injured companion off the battlefield. He is fearless in the face of the enemy. Even though the Athenian army failed, he remained calm. He walked on the battlefield like walking on the streets of Athens, "strutting and squinting". When he met the enemy, he still squinted at him casually, so that the enemy would know that he was not easy to mess with when he saw him from a distance. If he finds him, he will definitely go to the loyal opposition.
Socrates is sincere and gentle to his compatriots and students at ordinary times. He is not self-righteous, not good at being a teacher by example, and not self-reliant. He is an excellent teacher. His talk is lively and unrestrained, showing high accomplishment. He is a gifted speaker. His student Alsi Bader, the general of Athens, once said. Every time I listen to Socrates, my heart will jump wildly ... I will have tears in my eyes, and a large audience will express the same feelings.
However, it was such an outstanding scholar, great educator and enthusiastic patriot who was sentenced to death by the extremely democratic Athens government in 399 BC on charges of: first, not believing in the gods of Athens and worshiping new gods; Second, confuse young people. However, these two aspects are Socrates' contribution to Athens. Shortly after his death, the Athenians realized the significance of his activities and sentenced some people who accused him to death, which was actually to rehabilitate him. It should be said that "misunderstanding and personal hatred pushed him to court." Socrates' death is "the tragedy of Athens, the tragedy of Greece." (Hegelian)
Socrates was contradictory when serving his sentence. On the one hand, he refused to accept the court decision, on the other hand, he did not want to escape, saying that he would obey the court decision. His students and friends advised him to run away. He refused on the grounds that citizens should be loyal to the country. He said that if the court's judgment is invalid, the country cannot exist. Citizens were born in the country, grew up in the country and were educated by the country, so they should obey the country in everything. A son can only repay a debt of gratitude, not a complaint. No matter how a father treats himself, he can't return torture with torture and return evil words with evil words. People sentenced to death without serving their sentences are not allowed to destroy or subvert the state and laws by escaping. Socrates had to stick to his beliefs and obey the laws of the country, so he had to drink and die in prison. The truth that he was punished by taking the lead in the neck aroused the infinite admiration of future generations.