Lessons From The Dilemma of Socrates

In the early hours of today, June 21, 2023 I culled an old text from my bookshelf and ran into a page that narrated how Socrates, the famous Greek philosopher of antiquity died. Read on!

Socrates, a father of three sons taught independent thinking to students from whom he never charge a dime. 

Being the son of a stone cutter, Socrates may have lived a poor life, way below even that of his students who hailed from wealthy families. 

Shockingly, his students liked his teachings but their parents didn't. He never even wrote a book but those he taught or mentored have since written many essays about him. Plato is the most famous of his students. Another is Xenophon. The writings of these great men revealed to the whole world who their master Socrates truly was. Can you recall Plato’s Apology? That book speaks volumes about the life and times of Socrates. You should read it.

In fact, Socrates’ post-death influence is greater than the influence he had while on Earth.

Socrates would always pretend ignorance and ask his students moral or ethical questions that required critical thinking. “The students already know the answers”, he said; “they just had to think clearly and formulate their thoughts”. So, he would listen to all the submissions and then in the end add his informed opinion on the subject.

But then, the story behind his death got me thinking deeply. He was publicly executed at age 70.

At his trial in Athens in 399 B.C., Socrates presented a defence that resulted in his being sentenced to death by being forced to drink hemlock, a poison.

His teachings were seen by society as being against the worship of the state’s god and of corrupting the youth of Athens. But he refused to compromise his moral stance. He gained notoriety in Athens at the time.

He said if his doctrine of teaching the youth to be independent thinkers was seen as corrupting them, then he was a mischievous person.

Socrates believed that no evil can happen to a good man, either in life or after death.

Can you face persecution for what you believe, much less dying? Here and right here, the story of Leah Sharibu comes to mind. She refused to recount her faith, only to be taken captive by a radical Muslim sect—Boko Haram in February 2018.

The late literary icon Chinua Achebe said that the truest test of a man's character is his blunt refusal to be compromised.That's what Socrates and Leah Sharibu did. And that is exactly what I want us to do.

Stay true to your character. Don't do anything condescending or below your dignity.

That is the story of Socrates in a few lines.