Essays on Socrates

By Dr Neel Burton — Psychiatrist, philosopher, and wine writer; Fellow of Green Templeton College, University of Oxford; author of over twenty books.

Whither haste ye, O men? Yea, verily ye know not that ye are doing none of the things ye ought… —Socrates, as quoted by Plato in the Clitophon

Unlike the more academic and aristocratic Plato and Aristotle, who succeeded, by and large, in removing themselves from the world, Socrates was a philosopher of the street and very much immersed in the tumultuous currents of history. Even though he had the good fortune of living right through the Golden Age of Athens, which, more than anyone else, he came to epitomise, he had to submit to several long and brutal military campaigns, suffer the final defeat and humiliation of his people, and defend his character and ideals in a court that sentenced him to death.

This page brings together my essays on Socrates, his method, his outlook, and his enduring influence.

Socrates the Man

How Ugly Was Socrates? — What Socrates’ Sex Life Tells Us About His Appearance

Aspasia: The Woman Who Slapped Socrates — If Aspasia taught Socrates, Western philosophy begins with a woman.

Humility vs Modesty — Synonyms, or Opposites?

Why Socrates Chose to Die — Plato’s Apology: Why the Father of Philosophy Refused to Save His Own Life

The Socratic Method

The Ancient Technique That Changes Minds — The Socratic Method: Why Socrates Is Remembered for His Method, Not His Answers

The Euthyphro Dilemma: Who Decides What Good Means? — Plato’s Euthyphro, the Euthyphro Dilemma, and Why They’ll Never Leave You

Socrates Questions Modern Psychiatry — A Socratic Dialogue to Unsettle an Entire Field… and the Foundations of Institutional Knowledge

The Problem with Critical Thinking — Why Are People No Wiser Than Before?

The Limits of Teaching — Can the Highest Forms of Human Excellence Be Taught?

The Socratic Outlook

What Is Intelligence? — The West’s Dangerous Obsession With Analytical Intelligence

The Psychology and Philosophy of Wisdom — Ever Met a Clever Fool? Why Intelligence Alone Is Not Enough

What Is Truth? — Why Truth Matters More than Ever

What If We’ve Got Happiness Wrong? —Why Eudaimonia Is Better Than Happiness

Socrates and His World

The Sophists: Philosophy’s First Great Crisis — How the Sophists Forced Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle to Rethink Truth.

How the Ancient Greeks Invented the Art of Persuasion — Exploring the Origins of Rhetoric in Ancient Greece

Meet Aristippus: The Ultimate Hedonist — The Freest and Funniest Philosopher of Antiquity

The Philosopher Who Took Philosophy Too Far — Diogenes the Cynic and the Philosophy of the Dog

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