The Enigma of Socrates

The enduring reputation of Socrates is difficult to comprehend. He was not the first Philosopher, having been chronologically preceded by, notably, Pythagoras, Parmenides, Heraclitus, Democritus, and Protagoras, each of whom pioneered a doctrine that is still profoundly influential today. The historical Socrates is often conflated with Plato's fictional character of the same name, but despite the latter's being Plato's mouthpiece, it is Plato who is unequivocally given credit for, e. g. the Theory of Forms, so despite the confusion, Socrates is not credited with that doctrine, either. So, he has no substantive theory associated with him. Meanwhile, heresy, Dialectics, and the maxim 'know thyself', which are often attributed to him, hardly originated with him. One phrase which seems to have coined is 'I only know that I do not know', but he expresses it in specific circumstances, and, even if it does brand him as a Sceptic, he, again, was not the first. Obviously his death is a major factor in his continuing celebrity. But, it is hard to imagine that he was the first person ever sentenced that way. So, maybe what is most intriguing about his end is the fact that the sentence entailed the option of permanent exile, which he refused. For example, this decision opened the way for Plato to speculate that Socrates subscribed to existence of some supernatural realm, which is as plausible an interpretation as any, since the given rationales include: 'Escape would be bad citizenship' and 'I'm too old to move away'. But those, if taken at face value, at this most crucial of moments in his life, are hard to square with Socrates' alleged wisdom. Another possibility is that accepting the exile would have been acknowledging the validity of the charges that he was corrupting the youth. Even if he believed nothing else, it is difficult to accept that he would have conceded that. So, that is one explanation that entails that Socrates allowing himself to be executed was an exemplary principled decision, that avoids commiting him to advocating some supernatural doctrine.