ABSTRACT
Socrates has fascinated and inspired men and women for over two thousand years. More recently, existentialists have found in Socrates' admonition " know thyself an encapsulation of their thought and opponents of unjust laws have seen in Socrates' trial a blueprint for civil disobedience. In short, Socrates is one of the most admired men who ever lived. Socrates was the son of Sophroniscus, a sculptor, and of Phaenarete, a midwife. When he was a middle-aged man, Socrates' friend, Chaerephon, asked the oracle at Delphi 'if there was anyone who was wiser than Socrates'In virtually all of Plato's dialogues, Socrates is the main character, and it is possible that in the early dialogues Plato is recording his teacher's actual words. Following Socrates' execution, the twenty-eight-year-old Plato left Athens and traveled for a time. He also visited Italy and Sicily, where he became the friend of Dion, a relative of Dionysius, the tyrant of Syracuse, Sicily.
