Essay Example on Socrates has been described as one of the most influential Philosophers

Socrates has been described as one of the most influential philosophers of all time However his teachings have only been explained through his students perspectives He was intrigued at learning new perspectives and acquiring knowledge from a variety of individuals during his short lifetime Socrates wanted justice regardless of the consequences he would experience Many of his students described him as being pushy and opinionated His questioning of individuals of higher status led to tension which would make some individuals he questioned look foolish Socrates was viewed as different during this time period and encouraged individuals to be freethinkers While Socrates is considered one of the greatest philosophers in history he did not document any of his teachings Thus Socrates thought process was taught by two of his students Plato and Xenophon Plato s perception of Socrates has been argued to be a more brightened up version and may not include anything historical that Socrates was likely to have said or done On the other hand Xenophon was a historian and his accounts of Socrates have been considered to be more reliable and less opinionated When considering Socrates philosophy of management it is necessary to review his early life experiences which molded his belief system Socrates was born in Alopeka close to Athens Greece Socrates father was a stonemason and his mother was a midwife Socrates first worked as a stonemason and crafted the statues of the 

Three Graces which stood in Greece until the 2nd century AD When Socrates was a child he used to spend time outside of the workshops talking to the merchants and learning from their perspectives Socrates participated in the Peloponnesian war which stretched intermittently over 431 to 404 B C Socrates was credited for saving several lives and was considered a loyal soldier In 406 B C Socrates participated in the city council and debated what should happen to generals who had abandoned the injured survivors of the defeated Spartan Navy Socrates took a leadership role in the debates according to Xenophon Socrates also took a controversial stance by refusing to allow the generals to be subjected to capital punishment He blocked the votes which was considered illegal by some This was the first time that Socrates was considered to be a rebel against the current political state Socrates was very loyal to and openly praised Sparta an archrival to Athens Socrates fought to improve the Athenians sense of justice which may have ultimately caused his execution Socrates questioned those who were considered to be the wise men of their time Ultimately he found that they in fact knew very little Socrates publicly questioned people who were considered to be the elite and made them look foolish Thus they turned against him and accused him of corrupting the minds of the youth When asked what to propose as his own punishment at trial Socrates suggested that he should be paid a wage by the government and have free dinners for the rest of his life due to the time he spent in Athens as a supporter Ultimately Socrates was found guilty of corrupting the minds of the youth of Athens and not believing in the Gods of the state He was sentenced to death by poisoning Socrates most important contribution to society is known as the Socratic Method The Socratic Method was used to solve problems of moral concepts by asking a series of questions The questions would gradually lead to the answer that a person would seek The development of this method eventually led to Socrates being known as the Father of Political Philosophy Political philosophy can be compared to managerial philosophy because both study topics such as human rights liberty justice and policy 

According to the book early civilizations struggled with organizational authority Group affiliations evolved from the family to the nation In the nation the conflict was between chiefs and priests while in the family the authority rested on the patriarch or matriarch Socrates solution to this conflict was that all managerial skills were transferable He believed that management of private concerns family concerns and public concerns nation were only different in magnitude Socrates stated that both public and private concerns could not be carried out without men employees or family members and those who knew how to employ others and manage their skill set In the family the patriarch in early civilizations had to learn the strengths and weaknesses of each family member in order to accomplish tasks that were key to their survival This method aligns with the elements of the first organization Even though Socrates did not write anything in philosophy the results of his teachings were carried on by his students According to the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy he admired individuals who would take a stand for what he or she strongly believed in Socrates valued the opinion of diverse individuals including women which was a rarity during this time period When making a general statement he would refer to both men and women This made women feel like their voice mattered and could in turn lead to a stronger insight It has been referenced to him that an individual should focus on a particular skill set to excel which will lead to superior work With this mentality all work efforts can be performed close to perfection due to understanding every detail of a certain industry The mentality that Socrates developed has helped many managers understand that individuals should focus on a limited amount of skills in order to excel This is how Socrates implemented and applied managerial philosophies throughout his lifetime