How to Think Like Socrates

when the ancient city-state of athens stood at the height of its power, one man walked its streets asking uncomfortable questions. some called him the wisest person alive. others wanted him dead. 

socrates developed his famous philosophy methods during these times of war, disease, and political chaos. he showed people how to break down their ideas, question their assumptions, and find deeper truths. today, his approach still helps people solve problems, make better choices, and understand themselves. 

this chapter explores the dramatic events that shaped socratic philosophy and the wisdom he gleaned from them, along with practical ways to apply his timeless methods in everyday situations in your own life. 

from the fall of ancient athens to the challenges of modern life, socratic thinking remains one of humanity’s most powerful guides to clearer, deeper understanding.

in 432 bce, a stonemason named socrates walked away from his successful business to serve in the athenian army in the peloponnesian war. as a soldier, he became famous for standing barefoot in the snow during battle campaigns, and questioning his fellow soldiers about what truly mattered in life. while others worried about wealth or status, socrates focused on understanding wisdom itself.

during athens’ golden age, most people claimed to have answers about how to live well. teachers called sophists charged high fees to teach young men how to win arguments and gain power. but socrates saw things differently. through his experiences in war, he learned first-hand that those who claimed to know everything often knew very little, while those who admitted their ignorance were actually ready to learn.

years later, plato, socrates’s best-known student, wrote that his teacher’s unique approach to wisdom began with a surprising story. socrates’s friend chaerephon traveled to the sacred oracle at delphi and asked if anyone was wiser than socrates. the oracle replied that no one was wiser. 

when chaerephon returned with this news, socrates was puzzled. how could he be the wisest when he was so aware of his own ignorance? to understand this riddle, he began questioning people who claimed to have knowledge – politicians, poets, craftsmen. he discovered that while each knew their specific trades, they falsely believed this made them wise about everything else.

this insight became the foundation of socratic wisdom – that true understanding starts with admitting what we don’t know. during athens’s devastating plague and the chaos of war, this approach became even more valuable. while others clung to rigid beliefs, socrates showed how questioning our assumptions leads to better decisions.

to apply this wisdom today, start with three simple practices. first, before forming an opinion, list what you don’t yet understand about the situation. second, when someone claims expertise, politely ask them to explain their basic assumptions. finally, make it a daily habit to admit one thing you previously thought you knew but now realize you don’t fully understand.

socrates’s greatest insight wasn’t a collection of answers, but a method for asking better questions. in times of uncertainty, knowing what you don’t know becomes your first step toward genuine wisdom.

among socrates’s most famous students was the young alcibiades, a handsome and wealthy aristocrat destined for power in athens. when they first met, alcibiades boasted about his natural talents and future political career. instead of lecturing him, socrates asked simple questions: what makes a good leader? how do you know what’s best for the city? each answer led to deeper questions, until alcibiades realized he hadn’t thought carefully about leadership at all.

this was socrates’s method in action. he began with examples that his conversation partners understood well. when talking with generals, he’d ask about military training. with craftsmen, he’d discuss their trade. but gradually, his questions would move from specific examples to universal principles, helping people discover the gaps in their own understanding.

the power of this approach became clear during athens’s darkest hour. in 404 bce, after losing the peloponnesian war to sparta, athens saw its democracy replaced by a group known as the thirty tyrants. among their leaders was critias, a former student of socrates. while many athenians remained silent out of fear, socrates continued his public questioning about the nature of justice and good governance.

in conversations recorded by plato, we see how socrates engaged with critias even before his rise to power. starting with simple questions about the meaning of temperance and wisdom, he would lead critias through a series of examples. he asked, is it just to harm those who have harmed you? and, if justice means giving people what they deserve, how do we know what they truly deserve? 

through his questioning, socrates revealed the contradictions between critias’s claimed principles and his actions as a tyrant. this courage in confronting power would eventually contribute to the charges brought against socrates years later, when his enemies accused him of corrupting the youth of athens.

the brilliance of this method is that instead of telling people they’re wrong, socrates helped them discover inconsistencies in their own thinking. by asking the right questions in the right order, he turned conversations into journeys of discovery.

to use this method in your own life, start with three simple steps. first, when discussing complex topics, begin with examples your conversation partner knows well. for instance, if you’re talking about education with a parent, start with their experience raising their own children. next, ask questions that move from specific examples to broader principles – like, how did you know what worked best for your child? would that approach work for all children? finally, help people test their ideas against their own experience rather than telling them what to think.

the key to this method is patience and genuine curiosity. your goal isn’t to prove others wrong, but to help them discover truth for themselves. like socrates with alcibiades, you’re not teaching people new ideas – you’re helping them examine what they already believe they know.

in 430 bce, as plague swept through athens and the war with sparta intensified, public speakers filled the marketplace with competing claims about justice, courage, and duty. some called retreat cowardly; others called it wise. some demanded harsh treatment of allied cities; others urged mercy. 

in this storm of contradicting voices, socrates developed a powerful tool. he urged the pursuit of clear definitions.

when young athenians debated whether to trust sparta’s peace offers, socrates wouldn’t argue for either side. instead, he’d ask them to define peace itself. what exactly makes something a true peace rather than a temporary pause in fighting? through careful definition, people discovered their disagreements often came from using the same words to mean different things.

this method proved especially powerful during the trial of the generals after the battle of arginusae in 406 bce. when angry citizens demanded justice for abandoned sailors, socrates, serving on the council, asked them to define what a just legal process would look like in this situation. by clarifying terms, he exposed how mob anger was being confused with legal process. though he ultimately failed to prevent the generals’ execution, his stand for clear definitions in the face of emotional arguments became legendary.

today, we face a similar flood of competing claims and heated arguments. when someone tells you something is “fair” or “right” or “obvious,” pause and ask for their definition. what exactly do they mean by these words? often, you’ll find that conflicts arise not from genuine disagreement, but from unclear definitions.

to practice this method yourself, start with your own thinking. take a value you hold dear, maybe something like loyalty, faith, or trust – and write down your precise definition. be as specific as possible. what, exactly, does loyalty mean? what is trusting, or being trustworthy,  and why? test your definition against real-world examples. does it hold up? like socrates, you’ll often find that what seemed obvious becomes surprisingly complex under careful examination.

clear definitions won’t solve every problem, but they transform vague disagreements into focused discussions. in unstable times, when words are often twisted to serve power, the ability to ask, what exactly do you mean by that? becomes your strongest tool for finding truth.

even in his seventies, socrates refused to compromise his principles. in 404 bce, after athens fell to sparta, the newly installed thirty tyrants tested the elderly philosopher’s integrity. they ordered him to arrest leon of salamis, an innocent man whose wealth they coveted. following this order would have saved socrates from trouble and even earned him a share of the stolen fortune.

instead, socrates walked home. this quiet act of defiance risked everything, but he maintained that an unjust action harms the person who commits it more than its victim. while others justified collaboration with tyranny as necessary for survival, socrates showed that each moral choice shapes who you become.

his ethical stance grew from decades of examining human nature. through conversations in athens’s busy markets, gymnasiums, and symposiums, socrates observed how people’s actions flowed from their understandings of good and bad. 

when someone chose wrongly, he believed it came from confusion rather than evil intent. this insight led to his famous claim that virtue is knowledge – once you truly understand what’s right, you’ll naturally choose it.

but understanding takes work. during the democratic restoration of 403 bce, socrates challenged both sides of athens’s civil conflict to examine people’s motives. while others sought revenge, he asked people to consider what justice truly required. many found his questions uncomfortable, but some discovered that their so-called righteous anger masked a desire for power instead of justice.

living ethically under pressure requires more than good intentions; you need a clear method for testing your choices. when facing difficult decisions, examine your motivations like socrates did. ask yourself if you would make the same choice if everyone knew about it. are you acting from careful thought, or just following the crowd? could you explain and defend your choice to someone you respect?

to make this a practice, sit down each evening and review one difficult choice you made that day. notice what influenced your decision. perhaps it was fear, or convenience, peer pressure, or genuine principles. don’t judge yourself harshly if your influences aren’t the best – simply build awareness. like strengthening a muscle, ethical clarity grows through regular exercise.

remember that integrity isn’t about being perfect. it’s about maintaining your core values even when it brings no immediate reward. in pressured moments, your clearest guide isn’t what others expect, but what your deepest understanding tells you is right.

in 399 bce, at age seventy, socrates stood before 500 athenian jurors. the charges were vague: corrupting the youth and disrespecting the gods. but the real issue was far deeper. after years of war, plague, and political upheaval, athens wanted someone to blame for its troubles. socrates, with his persistent questions and refusal to embrace comfortable lies, became the perfect target.

his accusers expected him to beg for mercy, as most defendants did. instead, socrates turned his trial into one final lesson about integrity. he explained that athens needed its gadfly – someone who kept questioning assumptions and shaking people out of mental laziness. just as a large horse often needs a buzzing pest to keep it moving, he argued, a great city needs someone to keep it thinking.

the jury offered socrates a deal. he could live if he stopped questioning people and examining life. his response became legendary. the unexamined life is not worth living. 

rather than abandon his principles for a few extra years of life, he accepted the death sentence with remarkable calm. even his last words carried a lesson — asking his friend to repay a debt of a rooster to the god of healing, showing his concern for obligations until the end.

ironically, socrates’s execution spread his ideas farther than his teaching ever had. his students, especially plato, ensured his methods lived on. today, whenever people gather to examine their beliefs carefully, ask probing questions, or stand firm for truth despite pressure to conform, they’re drawing from socrates’s legacy.

your life may not demand such dramatic choices, but it offers daily opportunities to practice socratic courage. when others rush to judgment, dare to ask deeper questions. when groupthink takes hold, voice your carefully reasoned doubts. when faced with pressure to abandon your principles for convenience, remember the old philosopher who chose integrity over ease.

start small: each day, choose one popular opinion and examine it thoroughly. ask what evidence supports it. consider what motivated the belief. notice how others react when you question accepted ideas. you may not drink hemlock for your principles, but living thoughtfully in a world that prefers quick answers to careful questions still requires courage. in choosing truth over comfort, you keep socrates’s spirit alive.

the main takeaway of this chapter to how to think like socrates by donald robertson is that socrates transformed ancient wisdom into practical methods we can all still use today. start by admitting what you don’t know, asking careful questions that move from specific examples to universal principles, insisting on clear definitions when discussing important ideas, and maintaining your integrity even when it’s costly. through war, plague, and political upheaval, socrates showed that examining our beliefs and questioning our assumptions leads to better decisions and a more meaningful life. his central insight – that the unexamined life isn’t worth living – challenges us to think more deeply about our choices, question comfortable assumptions, and stand firm for truth even when it’s difficult. by following his methods, you develop not just better thinking habits, but also the courage to live by your deepest understanding of what’s right.

okay, that’s it for this chapter. we hope you enjoyed it. if you can, please take the time to leave us a rating – we always appreciate your feedback. see you in the next chapter.