ABSTRACT
Many people find Plato’s writings to be the best source on Socrates. Plato wrote in a dialogue form and Socrates appears as a character in practically all of Plato’s writings. In Plato’s Apology, the people learn that a turning point in Socrates’ life was when his friend, Chaerephon, approached the shrine to the God Apollo and consulted the Pythia—a woman who was a priestess or medium through whom Apollo was believed to speak. One of Socrates’ conversations with a prophet named ‘Euthyphro’ illustrates how Socrates’ refutations helped his interlocutor to reflect on his moral beliefs, and hence to make more prudent decisions. Socrates is pointing out that in order to be certain that what he is doing is right, Euthyphro must know what ‘righteousness’ is. Given the benefits that come from examining one’s own beliefs, it is understandable why Socrates said ‘the unexamined life is not worth living’.
