Final answer:
During Socrates' time, early forms of science existed, characterized by reasoning and logic over empirical observation. Socrates himself contributed to philosophical thought which influenced later scientific methodology, though he was more focused on ethics and the good life.
Step-by-step explanation:
Human beings engaged in early forms of science during the time of Socrates. While he did not develop detailed accounts of the natural world like pre-Socratic philosophers, Socrates was aware of various natural philosophical accounts. He participated in dialogues about the soul, causality, and the classification of animals and plants, which were early examinations of nature. The Greek philosophers, including Socrates, pursued understanding through reason and logic rather than experiment and observation, marking the origins of philosophy as a departure from mythological explanations.
Socrates is renowned for developing the dialectical method of inquiry, questioning those who claimed wisdom, and focusing on human-centric issues like ethics and the good life. He had a profound impact on subsequent thought, with his ideas being foundational for his student Plato, and then Aristotle, whose work influenced Western philosophy, ethics, and scientific methodology.