Was Plato reliable?

Nonetheless, his earliest works are generally regarded as the most reliable of the ancient sources on Socrates, and the character Socrates that we know through these writings is considered to be one of the greatest of the ancient philosophers.

Is there evidence of Socrates?

There is plenty of evidence to support Socrates existence. Socrates served as a hoplite during the Peloponnesian wars, and none other than Alcibiades himself mentions his valor during the battle of Potidaea and Delium; he credits Socrates with saving his life during the second skirmish.

How do we know about Socrates and Plato?

Most of what we think we know about Socrates comes from a student of his over forty years his junior, Plato. Of the two authors, Plato’s account is generally given more attention by scholars because he, unlike Xenophon, actually attended the one-day trial of Socrates in Athens in 399 B.C.E.

In which Plato’s most reliable earliest work is mentioned?

Answer: Plato’s dialogues, along with “Apologia,” his written account of the trial of Socrates, are viewed by historians as the most accurate available picture of the elder philosopher, who left no written works of his own.

Did Plato create Socrates?

It’s essentially impossible to offer definitive proof on the matter, but it’s extremely unlikely that Socrates was merely a figment of Plato’s imagination. The primary evidence in this regard is the fact that multiple independent sources make reference to him in various ways.

Who what identifies Socrates as the wisest man?

the Oracle
Finally he realized the Oracle might be right after all. He was the wisest man in Athens because he alone was prepared to admit his own ignorance rather than pretend to know something he did not.

What makes Plato’s philosophy unique from Socrates?

One primary difference between these two philosophers is that while Socrates rarely spoke about the soul of the human being, Plato gave a lot of importance to the soul of the human being than its body. Socrates believed in being just, he states that everything has a role to play, and must play it well enough.

How accurate is Plato’s portrayal of Socrates in his writings?

Plato was a philosopher, not a historian, and he used Socrates as a character in his dialogues to essentially bounce ideas off of. On account of this fact, Plato’s portrayal of Socrates is not historically accurate in the sense that we would usually think of today.

Are Plato’s dialogues historically accurate?

Even though Plato’s dialogues are not strictly historically accurate, however, I must stress that Socrates was definitely a real person. Plato did not just make Socrates up.

Is Socrates a real person?

Socrates is also spoken of as having been a real person by the philosopher Aristotle of Stageira (lived 384 – 322 BC). Aristotle was not a contemporary of Socrates, but he was a student of Plato. If Plato had just made Socrates up, then Aristotle certainly would have known.

What does Phaedo say about Socrates in his apology?

Phaedo, a dialogue describing Socrates’ thoughts on death and other subjects before he drinks the fatal hemlock comes from Plato’s middle, or transitional period. Because of Plato’s obviously high regard for his mentor, many scholars suspect that in his Apology Plato failed to disclose some of the most compelling evidence of Socrates’ guilt.