Understanding the Self

• Socrates was a Greek Philosopher and one of the very few individuals who shaped the Western thought
• Most information from Socrates are second hand and from the writings of his student Plato
• Socratic method


  An idea is tested by asking series of questions to determine underlying beliefs and the extent of knowledge to guide the person toward better understanding
• Some of Socrates' ideas

  • The soul is immortal
  • The care of the soul is the task of philosophy
  • Virtue is necessary to attain happiness
• Socrates believed that philosophy has a very important role to play in the lives of the people
• Socrates: '"the unexamined life is not worth living"'
• Socrates said that self-knowledge or the examination of one's self, as well as the question about how one ought to live one's life, are important
• Cardiac muscle is found only in the heart and allows involuntary contraction.
• Skeletal muscles are attached to bones by tendons and allow voluntary movement.