Socrates was the founding figure of Western philosophy, whose method of relentless questioning transformed how humans pursue truth and wisdom. An Athenian stonemason's son who served as a soldier, Socrates spent his life in the agora questioning politicians, poets, and craftsmen about virtue, justice, and knowledge—and demonstrating that they knew far less than they claimed.
Socrates wrote nothing; we know him through Plato's dialogues, Xenophon's memoirs, and Aristophanes' satire. The 'Socratic method' proceeds through questions that expose contradictions in the interlocutor's beliefs, leading to aporia (puzzlement) that opens the possibility of genuine inquiry. 'I know that I know nothing' expressed his epistemic humility.
In 399 BC, Athens charged Socrates with corrupting the youth and impiety. He refused to flee, accepted the death sentence, and drank hemlock—becoming philosophy's first martyr. His choice to obey the law even when unjust, his courage before death, and his commitment to the examined life have inspired philosophers from Plato to the present.