Socrates 470/469 – 399 BC was a classical Greek (Athenian) philosopher credited as one of the founders of Western philosophy. He is an enigmatic figure known chiefly through the accounts of classical writers, especially the writings of his students Plato and Xenophon and the plays of his contemporary Aristophanes. Plato's dialogues are among the most comprehensive accounts of Socrates to survive from antiquity, though it is unclear the degree to which Socrates himself is "hidden behind his 'best disciple', Plato".
Through his portrayal in Plato's dialogues, Socrates has become renowned for his contribution to the field of ethics, and it is this Platonic Socrates who lends his name to the concepts of Socratic irony and the Socratic method, or elenchus. The latter remains a commonly used tool in a wide range of discussions, and is a type of pedagogy in which a series of questions is asked not only to draw individual answers, but also to encourage fundamental insight into the issue at hand. Plato's Socrates also made important and lasting contributions to the field of epistemology, and his ideologies and approach have proven a strong foundation for much Western philosophy that has followed. Spcrates, Wikipedia
"Why was Socrates killed?
Socrates, the greatest philosopher of all time, was actually the most hated man in Athens.
He was accused of cruelty and corruption of youth.
The popular court, the Eliea, condemned him to death: and Socrates, one of the most brilliant minds in history, died drinking hemlock.
But why all this?
Socrates apparently wasn't doing anything dangerous.
He simply asked questions, spoke to anyone: with nobles, with common citizens, with young people.
But his questions, in their frankness, in their simplicity demolished the certainties of his interlocutors, forcing them to confront the emptiness of their own certainties, with the incoherence of their reasoning.
He taught us to doubt.
Socrates was a character who was too uncomfortable with the doubts he inculcated.
He had the audacity to expose corrupt politicians and false teachers who advocated false truths and false knowledge.
For this he was sentenced to death. He was a threat to the status quo, a danger that needed to be eliminated.
During the trial, Socrates did not want to repent or beg for mercy.
He also refused to be assisted by a speaker.
Intelligence is inconvenient, this is what the trial against Socrates teaches us.
The masses want illusions and not truths; they want to be flattered and live happily in ignorance.
Smart men are embarrassing.
They are prohibited, ostracized, despised, because they disturb the sleep of the masses, question authority, reveal the deceptions of the institutions. [anon]