Socrates

Socrates is considered by many as the founder of Western Philosophy, and was among the first moral philosophers of ethical tradition of thought. It may come as a surprise to many that we know very little about Socrates - but seemingly, despite this, we may know him more intimately than we do of the aristocratic Plato or the reserved and scholarly Aristotle.

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Socrates authored no texts, but through posthumous accounts of him by many classical writers, particularly his students Plato and Xenophon - we can form a good understanding of his approach to areas of philosophy, including epistemology and ethics. However, certain contradictory accounts of Socrates make a total reconstruction of his philosophy and character nearly impossible; this challenge is known as the Socratic problem.