re them, make them defensive and also open up their minds so they could let themselves understand Socrate's teachings.He talked to ordinary people about ordinary subjects. He talked about how to make friends, how to treat children, how to support female relations in bad times, how to receive the greatness of his country, the evidence for the existence of God, what knowledge is, and whether goodness can be taught. He had all the right intentions and all he wanted was to make people realize was their capacity of logical solutions to the level of their capacity. All the cross-questioning, which seemed so tiresome, so negative, had a positive purpose. Here is his own description of it: "I spend my whole life in going about and persuading you all to give your first and chiefest care to the perfection of your souls, and not till you have done that to think of your bodies, or your wealth; and telling you that virtue does not come from wealth, but that wealth and every other good thing which men have, whether in public or in private, comes from virtue. " (Portrait of Socrates, 1979) Socrates, he is the questioner, the tester, the man who finds it intolerable to lead an uncritisized life or disillusionment or annoyance with human stupidity but from positive beliefs. Definitely, - 3 -the positive aim of these cross-examinations is clear. Socrates did not teach by preaching or appealing to the emotions, but as a lawyer with a witness, he tried by questions to bring truth to light. If we asked him today why he would use that method, he would probably say: " I want to clear people's minds of error and lead them to see things as they really are. How can a man do what is right, unless he knows what is right?" (portrait) The people that knew Socrates always had no doubt that Socrates was in the right frame of mind and that he was thinking very logically. This is why his int...
