Write on more than three words for each answer.

The father of Western philosophy

The word ‘philosophy’ means ‘love of wisdom’. Philosophy can be thought of as a way of looking at the world around us, or of answering the great questions of life, such as ‘Why are we here ?’ and ‘What is truth?’

The father of Western philosophy was Socrates. Socrates was from Athens, in Greece. When he was young, he was a brave soldier. Later, he became a teacher, but he taught for free, and earned his salary from being a common worker. Aside from this, we know very little about him. Since he never wrote a book, we also know very little about his philosophy. Yet, Socrates has had a deep influence on Western thought and science.

To understand how this can true, we must understand how Socrates taught. Socrates taught by asking questions. Through this, he challenged his students to develop and explain their own arguments. In many cases, his questions made his students aware of their own errors. Many students got embarrassed and even angry when this happened, while others changed their opinions. Socrates’ way of approaching the truth is now called the Socratic Methods. The idea of asking questions until you reach the right answer is the basis of modern philosophy and science.

Unfortunately for him, Socrates questioned too much. He always asked challenging questions to everyone he met, upsetting many people in Athens. Finally, some people had had enough of him, so they took him to court for questioning the existence of the Greek’s Gods and for corrupting the young people of Athens. At his trial, he defended himself by asking his judges yet more questions. This just made a bad situation worse. Finally he was put to death by being forced to drink poison.                 Through his death, Socrates became the hero of all people who search for the truth.