philosophy · 470 BCE – 399 BCE
The Unexamined Life
Socrates turns moral philosophy from proclamation into examination. A question is answered only by being pressed until the answerer can no longer hold it, and the same procedure is applied to the law that executes him. What the method contributes to alignment is its scepticism about self-report: a position nobody has been grilled on is not yet a position, and the person who cannot state their own reasons cannot be held to them.
“The unexamined life is not worth living.”
Advances
- Elenchus — refutation by question, as a repeatable procedure rather than a talent
- Moral claims are tested for internal consistency, not only against the facts
- The examined life becomes a civic obligation, which makes self-audit a public good
Landmarks
470 BCE
Socrates at Athens
The elder Plato begins writing up his master's questions within a generation of the trial.
399 BCE
The trial and execution
Found guilty of corrupting the youth; the Apology makes conscience into a political act.
Who was arguing
Alignment stack at 399 BCE (0 of 20 techniques)
Techniques introduced in this era: