Final answer:
Socrates was a philosopher who conversed with Athenians, using the Socratic method to examine their knowledge, often leaving them questioning their beliefs. His approach was both enlightening and discomforting and led to his trial and execution. He is known through Plato's dialogues, influencing philosophy through his method rather than written works.
Step-by-step explanation:
Socrates chose a vocation as a philosopher, engaging with his fellow Athenians in daily discussions on significant concepts such as truth, beauty, goodness, and virtue, without charging for his exchanges. The dialogues he had, often depicted in Plato's works like Alcibiades I and the Apologia, illustrate his unique method of questioning, known as the Socratic method. This was characterized by Socrates encountering individuals in public spaces and questioning their claims to knowledge, leading them through a process of realizing their own ignorance or reaching a closer understanding of the truth.
Conversing with Socrates was an intellectually stimulating and sometimes discomforting experience, often leading to what has been termed as getting "socratized." This term refers to the act of being engaged by Socrates in a deep and probing conversation where your beliefs are rigorously examined and often dismantled. The goal of his philosophical pursuits was not to convey his own doctrine, but rather to enlighten others through self-reflection and reason, a process that could either lead to a clearer understanding of a topic or to the unsettling realization that one knows less than they thought.
The legacy of Socrates as a philosopher lies not in written works of his own but through the dialogues of his disciple Plato, in which Socrates is frequently portrayed employing the Socratic method. Despite his intention to educate and pursue wisdom, his methods often challenged the societal norms and authority figures of Athens, which eventually led to his trial and execution, marking him as a philosophical martyr.