more than before all the others. If we do not follow his directions, we shall harm and corrupt that part of ourselves that is improved by just actions and destroyed by unjust actions. Socrates attempted through philosophy to guide both himself and others to a position where their morals and ethics were flawless, leaving them in a position to do no wrong.Socrates believed that if people had false conceptions about virtues, love, justice, piety and other ethical ideas, they could not be trusted to do the right thing. This gave Socrates the justification he felt needed to tear down the positions held by others concerning moral issues. Socrates: We must therefore examine whether we should act in this was or not, as not only now but at all times I am the kind of man who listens only to the argument that on reflection seems best for me. The questioning of a belief system by Socrates is what we now commonly refer to as the ‘Socratic Method‘. This occurs when a person with an established idea agrees, through a series of questions, to a principal contradictory to their original position. Their definition or conception of a idea is deemed inconsistent or unacceptable. Because Socrates never offers options after refuting one’s ideas, it is easy to speculate that the idea of truth was being pursued rather than discovered.The love of wisdom was indeed an honourable and noble pursuit of Socrates. His ultimate desire to be a person not capable of wrongdoing was what drove him to the pursuit of truth in terms of various moral positions. The welfare of the soul, the understanding of virtue as knowledge and the critical examination of ones beliefs are united to form the nature of philosophy as defined by Socrates. As so much of today's philosophy rests on the shoulders of Socrates’ thinking and techniques, in order for one to engage in present-day philosophy it is elemental to understand the nature of philosophy as given by Socrat...
