The Origin Story of Socrates
How the Wisest Man Who Ever Lived Came to Be + a book giveaway!
Gracious Reader,
My friend Donald Robertson’s newest book came out last week, and I’m thrilled to share an excerpt with you below. It’s called How to Think Like Socrates. I’m glad to be able to give away THREE copies. Read to the end to learn how to enter.
Socrates, the Ancient Greek sage who lived 470 BCE to 399 BCE, is known as the wisest man who ever lived because he knew that he knew nothing.
He is one of the most formative intellectual influences in my life, and you can read about what I’ve written in the past here and here (link to anything else I’ve written on Socrates).
I loved learning this story about how Socrates got his start as a philosopher. His wealthy friend Crito basically offered a lifetime scholarship, free from work, to think and reflect on the true, good, and beautiful. Talk about a good friend!
Socrates was essentially given the equivalent of a lifetime MacArthur '“Genius” grant.
Prior to the excerpt below, Donald shares the story of Socrates slaving away at the workshop of his father, who was a sculptor. Socrates had been working on the sculpture of The Three Graces—but found himself fixated on questions of philosophy. Crito’s gift allowed him to leave his “day job”—the job he was destined to inherit from his father— and walk into his true calling: philosophy, or the love of wisdom.
If you had the chance to—as Socrates did—do whatever you wanted with the rest of your life, without worrying how you’d provide for yourself or for your family, what would it be?
Share your answer by commenting on this post.
For me: I’d be doing what I’m doing now. Raising our family, and writing about how the true, the good, and the beautiful can help us lead better lives today.
Thank you to so many of you for helping to make that possible.
I hope you enjoy this story and Donald’s book as much as I did.
SOCRATES LEAVES THE WORKSHOP
QUESTIONS OF A DEEPER KIND about natural philosophy continued to bother Socrates, as he toiled in the din of his father's workshop. He ran his fingers over the smooth Parian marble of the Three Charites, by now nearing completion. When asked what his life's purpose was, Anaxagoras had turned his gaze skyward, answering wistfully that he was born "to study sun and moon and heavens."
That passion for knowledge had infected his students and gradually spread to the youth of Athens. Anaxagoras was called both a philosopher, or "lover of wisdom," and a "wise man." He had expertise in many different fields. Whatever wisdom he possessed, though, had been of little avail during his trial. A broken man, he had cowered in shame before the jury, throwing himself on their mercy. What was the point of knowing whether the sun is a blazing rock if you had no wisdom that could help you stand your ground in court, facing injustice as bravely as a soldier faces the enemy in battle rather than fleeing into exile and living in fear for your life?
When he found himself looking death in the eye, Anaxagoras blinked, but Socrates would not. Anaxagoras had convinced his followers that the goal of life was contemplative philosophy and the study of nature, which can free us from superstition. Socrates, though, would become con-vinced that it was, in fact, the study of man. The Ionian philoso-pher assumed that we become wise by contemplating the heavens and learning many things about nature, but what if he was wrong? How can we be sure unless we first answer the question: What is wisdom? To do so we would need to examine not the heavens but our own lives. Philosophy, decided Socrates, cannot promise man anything external.
For whereas stone is the material in which the stonemason works, each individual's own life is the only proper material for those who would practice the art of living. Socrates turned to his friends in despair. "I am putting down my tools," he said sullenly. "How can I continue?" Some of them were shocked and warned him that if he didn't return to work, he risked provoking his father's notoriously violent temper. Chaere-phon and Crito understood, though, because they were troubled by precisely the same questions. Chaerephon even became quite worried for his friend. What would Socrates's family have to say about him abandoning his father's profession? How would he support himself? Then something happened that would change Socrates's life forever. Crito smiled and gestured toward the Three Charites.
"Socrates, my friend, suppose that the gods were to hand you a boon this very day," he asked. "Should you accept it graciously or with in-gratitude?" "With gratitude, of course," replied Socrates. "If only I knew what you meant but, by the dog, I should try to be gra-cious anyway!" "As everyone knows," said Crito, "I was fortunate enough to inherit what many consider to be a great asset, in the form of lands left to me by my father, which I have turned to profit admirably, I think you will agree." Socrates, bemused, nod-ded. "Our little circle of friends has come to love nothing more than to discuss philosophy," he continued, "but, in truth, without your skill at questioning, our conversations would be of little value."
"What do you mean?" asked Socrates. "You have a unique talent, my friend, for posing the most crucial questions, ones routinely ignored by everyone else. Though I often depart from your presence feeling confused, and we never seem to arrive at the answers we're seeking, nevertheless, over time I've grown to believe that this journey, spurred by your skillful questioning, has been of more value to me than any lecture I have ever attended, or any book that I have read."
"It's very generous of you to say so . . ." Socrates was amused that for once his questioning nature had pleased rather than irritated someone. "You shall no longer require your tools," said Crito, "for you shall never return to your father's workshop." Socrates was taken aback and tried to speak again, but Crito hushed him. "I wish to make a gift to you of just enough land for you to build a small home, and enough besides for you to rent out, making a living thereby from your property while helping others to profit from their labor." Socrates tried to refuse but Crito continued, "If you wish to exemplify gratitude, as you said, you will accept my gift graciously, and repay me in the following way."
"I will repay you in whatever way I can, my friend," said Socrates, "but without the labor of my hands, how can I hope to do so?" "Through the labor of your mind," said Crito with a laugh, "and I expect you to exercise it to the utmost by attending the lectures of wise men, whenever possible, and spending your newfound leisure time dis-cussing their ideas with us, your friends, for it seems to me that is what benefits all of us the most." Chaerephon could contain himself no longer and pounced on Crito and Socrates, cackling with delight. Socrates came to realize that the philosophy with which he had grown up was not the one he needed. We're told that "Crito removed him from his workshop and educated him, being struck by his beauty of soul."
He was free to spend his days discussing moral philosophy with friends and strangers alike, among the shops and colonnades of the Agora. Anaxagoras and the other natural philosophers had assumed that philosophy, the love of wisdom, meant acquiring as much knowledge as possible. For Socrates, though, some forms of knowledge were immeasurably more important than others.
Philosophy required examining the nature of wisdom and ideas such as goodness, virtue, and justice. Instead of working in stone, crafting likenesses of the gods, Socrates would therefore begin roughing out his own character. He would sculpt himself, chiseling away the debris of false beliefs, in the hope of revealing the true nature of his own soul. On this day, therefore, Socrates was removed from his father's workshop by Crito, his friend, and his entire life henceforth was committed to discovering a new form of philosophy.
Giveaway Instructions:
Restack (or Cross-post) this newsletter post on your Substack.
Comment below with the question you’d most like to ask Socrates, or a topic you’d love to discuss with him.
Eligibility: The winner must be located in the U.S. or Canada to receive the book shipment.
Good luck, and we can’t wait to hear your thoughts and questions for Socrates!
About Donal J. Robertson
Donald is a writer, cognitive-behavioural psychotherapist and trainer. He is one of the founding members of the Modern Stoicism nonprofit, and the founder and president of the Plato’s Academy Centre nonprofit in Athens, Greece.
Donald specializes in teaching evidence-based psychological skills, and known as an expert on the relationship between modern evidence-based psychotherapy and classical Greek and Roman philosophy. His work is highly interdisciplinary, combining philosophy, history, and psychology.
Connect with Donald and find out more about his work:
Looking ahead:
January 23, 2025- I am thrilled to announce that I will be speaking at Yale Law School this coming January, invited by the Crossing Divides Program, part of the Tsai Leadership Program, which is dedicated to building strong bridges across our differences.
January 23, 2025- Buckley Institute Dinner Seminar at Yale
February 27, 2025- Georgia Center for Nursing Excellence
April 24- Kennesaw State University
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I would be doing the same thing I’m doing now, too! I’m a care manager (social worker) helping seniors in my community. I love it and it’s so fulfilling! I remember being 13 years old and learning that you could get paid to help people - I thought that was amazing, because I loved helping and now could make a career out of it. Woot!
I would ask him what he thought of Plato and if he thought Plato was a worthy successor to advocate for his ideas. Also whether he would agree that philosophers should be king.