The Great Teacher--399 B.C.

You are a young student in Athens. You have heard of a teacher named Socrates. Some say he is the best teacher in Greece. But others are not so sure.

"Socrates is a poor fellow--a stonemason and carver by trade," says your mother. "His wife does not speak highly of him, I can tell you that. She says he does not take proper care of his family."

"I have been told he asks questions that make people think," you say. "My friends tell me that he forces you to think of the deepest questions in life. He makes you examine your own life."

"Well, go and listen to him if you must," says your father. "He is supposed to gather students and just talk. If you don't like him you can walk away."

You find Socrates seated under an olive tree. He is not a handsome fellow. He is pale, with a very flat nose and bulging eyes. His lips are very thick.

"Good morning," Socrates says to the young people who are gathered, including you. You stand at the edge of the group. You want to be able to leave unnoticed if you find Socrates boring.

"What is virtue?" asks Socrates.

A young Athenian beside you says, "Virtue is to want good things."

"So you think some people want bad things?" asks Socrates with a smile. "Don't you think all people want good things?"

"Well, I don't know," mumbles the fellow.

You speak up. "I think some people do want bad things," you say.

Socrates turns to you. "Do such people think the bad things they want are good? Or do they know they are bad? And if they know bad things are bad, do they still want them?"

You are nervous now. Socrates is looking right at you with his bulging eyes. It is hard to match wits with such a man. You have never thought about these things before. Maybe you should just slip away. It is easier to have a teacher who tells you things rather than asks you questions.

If you stay, go here.

If you leave, go here.

Find out what your fate is!

"Yes," you say. "Yes, some people want bad things, knowing they are bad."

"But bad things make people miserable," says Socrates. "Why would anybody want to be miserable?"

"Well, I suppose because some people are so bad that bad things make them feel good," you mutter.

You remain for another hour. You listen and talk to Socrates. You have thought about truth, beauty, goodness, and other important ideas. It's the first time in your life that you have thought about such things. This has been exciting for you. You feel more alive than you did before.

You hurry home and tell your family about your day. "The fellow is very clever. He stirs the mind! I was just a dumb brute before. I did not think any more than the cat did! Now I am wondering about everything. I want to know why was I born and what I must do to have the best sort of life there is."

Your father shakes his head. "I have heard Socrates has many enemies. His questions excite you, but they make some people feel foolish. Then they become bitter enemies. It might be dangerous to be seen as a student of Socrates. People may hate you, too."

You cannot believe that. You must go again to listen to and speak with Socrates. You have listened to many wise men. In your city there are many such men who speak on politics, science, and even speechmaking. Some are really wise, but others make you laugh. Some are called Sophists, and they rent a room and teach for a fee. The Sophists have clever sayings, but deep down they don't seem to care about the old ideals of Athens. Socrates excites you much more than any of them.

Most people you know in Athens believe in many gods. There are many stories about gods like Zeus and his brothers and sisters. But Socrates says there is only one God. Now your mother says, "Socrates will get into big trouble for saying that!"

Maybe she's right. Maybe there is danger in being with Socrates.

If you return to Socrates, go here.

If you avoid him, go here.

You hurry away. It is too hard to argue with someone like Socrates.

You stop and enjoy a midday meal with friends and you talk about meeting Socrates. "He quickly makes you feel uncomfortable," you say.

Your friend's eyes glow with anger. "He is stupid! He claims to be very wise, but my father said he is ignorant."

"Oh no," you say. "Socrates does not claim to be wise. He is a humble man. I say he is just a harmless old philosopher. I must say he made me nervous, but I saw no evil in him."

"Once I met him and everything I said he turned against me," says your friend. "He enjoys making you think all your ideas are wrong. I have heard he is a dangerous man who wants to destroy Athens. I think it would be a good thing if the old wretch were killed!"

You are surprised and shocked by your friend's rage. You are now glad you did not stay to hear more of what Socrates had to say. You have a nice life and you have no wish to spoil it by getting into trouble over a teacher.

You pay a fee to some other teachers called Sophists, and they teach you how to write speeches. You plan to make a living writing speeches for people. Many politicians in Athens need people to write good speeches for them.

You have a good way with words, and you read a lot. Soon you are writing speeches for different people. People who are accused of crimes need someone to plead their case before the court. Sometimes you write such speeches and deliver them. When you are successful the accused go free.

An Athenian sculptor has been accused of dishonesty. He wants you to write a speech for him. He is accused of accepting payment for a piece of sculpture he did a bad job on. He asks you to write his argument against the charges. But a politician also needs your services. He wants a good speech asking people for their support.

If you write the sculptor's speech, go here.

If you write the politician's speech, go here.

You return to listen to more of Socrates' questions. You notice a sinister-looking group of people gathering. They watch Socrates with hatred. Then they come forward and one of them says, "You are under arrest, Socrates, for destroying the ideals on which Athens was built!"

Socrates is taken away before your eyes. "It is unjust," you mutter. But another young Athenian standing at your shoulder says, "Students of Socrates have caused trouble in Athens. They have stirred up revolutions. Perhaps Socrates should be stopped."

"But Socrates only made us think," you say.

"Shhh," says the other student. "Watch your tongue. You may be accused of impiety-- attacking the accepted religion."

The court which tries Socrates is made up of 501 citizens. The members of the jury were chosen by lot. There is no judge or special jury. The entire group of 501 citizens will vote. The majority will decide Socrates' fate.

Socrates makes a very powerful speech in his own defense. He says he teaches as he does because it is his way of serving God and Athens. He says it is not true that he wants to destroy the ideals of Athens. He says there is just one important lesson--to know what is right and do it.

Then the jury votes on the guilt or innocence of your teacher.

Socrates is found guilty. You are stunned and very sad. The vote is 281 for guilty, 220 for innocent.

Now Socrates speaks again. He does not condemn those who voted him guilty. He says he believes in speaking his mind no matter what the penalty is.

Socrates is sentenced to death. He is given poison, and when it reaches his heart he dies. You are proud that you knew Socrates even for a little while. You will never forget him. And now you go every day to an olive grove where another great teacher speaks. You study with Plato, Socrates' most brilliant student.

Go here.

You avoid Socrates out of fear. Then you find out he has been arrested! He is sentenced to death for trying to undermine Athens and his young students.

"Now aren't you glad you stayed away from that troublesome man?" asks your mother.

"I suppose so. I heard that Plato, a student of Socrates, is now teaching in the olive grove. But I guess it would be dangerous to listen to him as well."

"Yes," your father agrees. "Life is very unsettled in Athens. Everybody is accusing everybody else. When things are like that, it is better to avoid anybody who is different. Stick with the good old Sophists. Learn from them and you can be a teacher, too."

Sophists are professional wise men who teach practical and useful information. You learn to speak well from a Sophist teacher. Then you rent a small room and charge fees to teach students yourself.

You are very careful what you teach. You teach grammar and the art of speaking. You want to train your students for careers. Sophist teachers do not really care about things like truth, beauty, or goodness. They say it is silly to wonder about such things. So when one of your students asks you such a question, you are upset.

"What do you think love of state is?" your student asks. "Oh, it means doing what is good for the people," you mutter. "Even if that means going against what the leaders say?" asks the student.

You feel a rush of fear. You must not say anything that would offend anybody. You don't want to end up like Socrates! "No, no," you say. "Do not put words in my mouth. Oh--look how the sun sinks. I must be off now. I have no more time for idle chatter."

The student looks at you with a pitying smile. He knows you are afraid of saying anything important. But you cannot be brave like Socrates. You cannot risk death.

Go here.

You meet with the accused sculptor. He is a small, nervous man. He was paid to sculpt a heroic statue of a discus thrower. "I did my best," he says. "Now they say the discus thrower has no grace. They mock me. I am an honorable man. I would never have taken money for a work I could not do."

You listen carefully and then look at the statue. The arms of the discus thrower seem to be without enough muscles. One leg is slimmer than the other. It is not a splendid sculpture. Still, it is fairly good. The detail on the face is very good.

You write the sculptor's argument for him. You must gain the sympathy of the jury.

"My fellow countrymen," you write. "None among you has more admiration for the great and noble athletes of Greece. I pondered long on this sculpture. I wished to capture the courage and determination of the ordinary youth who strives for excellence. This discus thrower was not the most perfectly formed youth. Yet his heart destined him for greatness. He was able to win his garland of olive leaves by throwing the discus far and wide. He is an inspiration to all youth to reach for excellence even from within less-than-perfect bodies. I do not ask your pity in this case. I ask only that you honor this youth as I did in my sculpture."

You are in the courtroom as the sculptor delivers your words. You nervously watch the faces of the 501 citizens.

The sculptor is found not guilty! You are sure your words helped win his freedom. He praises you warmly. Your reputation as a speechwriter spreads and you are never lacking for clients. You make a very good living.

Go here.

You work for a politician who seeks election to a council of citizens. He is a pale little fellow with a squeaky voice. He must have golden words indeed!

You ponder all the great speeches of the past. You read the great funeral oration of Pericles over the Athenian war dead. This is the best speech you have ever read. Then you begin to write your own speech for the politician.

Your speech is short, and you think it is very good. But when the politician delivers it he does not do a good job. He sounds terrible. Worse yet, he blames you.

"You cannot write a good speech," he screams. "You are a silly fool!"

You cannot get another job writing speeches after that. The politician is very influential in Athens. You decide to become a tutor. You work for wealthy families teaching their children.

One day a boy asks you, "Did you once study with Socrates?" "No, never," you say. "But I saw him once. He even spoke to me. But then I left." The boy says, "Socrates was a great man. I wish I could have studied with him."

You nod. You wish now that you had stayed. But it's too late for that now. Socrates is dead. He was sentenced to death for spreading dangerous ideas.

You make up your mind to study with Plato, the brilliant student of Socrates. You spend every spare moment you can away from your tutoring to listen to Plato on the outskirts of Athens. He teaches in an olive grove.

You remain a student of Plato until you are very old. You write some books of your own which are full of wisdom.

The men who killed Socrates did not kill his ideas after all. They live on in Plato, and in many others--including you.

Go here.

Socrates' Gifts

The most important gift Socrates made to the world was his pupil, Plato. Socrates himself wrote no books, so most of what we know of Socrates comes from the 25 books Plato wrote. Plato wanted to keep the ideas of Socrates alive. He started a school called the Academy. One of his most famous pupils was Aristotle. Aristotle went on to write 400 books on astronomy, physics, poetry, zoology, biology, politics, and government. Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle were among the wisest people who ever lived.

Matching

Group Activities

1. Discuss these famous sayings by Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. Do you agree or disagree with them?

• "No evil can happen to a good man either in life or after death." (Socrates)

• "Necessity is the mother of invention." (Plato)

• "Poverty is the parent of revolution and crime." (Aristotle)

2. Discuss the Athenian way of trial. Was it more or less just than a twelve-person jury where all must agree?

3. Is it ever just to arrest someone for expressing ideas? Why? Why not?

Individual Activities

1. Read a Dialogue of Plato to see how Socrates taught.

2. Socrates kept asking "What is goodness?" Write your answer in one or two paragraphs.

3. Imagine you had to give a good reason why Socrates should be found innocent. Write your reason in one or two paragraphs.