Socrates

Socrates (469-399 BCE) was an Athenian philosopher and soldier who is known for his role as the founding Western philosophy. The "Socratic method" of relentless questioning to seek truth, his emphasis on self-examination, Know thyself, and his principled death self sacrificing and removal of impiety.

Most of what we know of him is primarily known through the writings of his student Plato. He taught ethics and virtue, claiming true wisdom was knowing one's own ignorance, and fundamentally shaped philosophy by shifting focus to ethics and critical thinking through inquiry.

Some will say that, the Socratic paradox refers to several seemingly contradictory ideas from Socrates, most famously "I know that I know nothing," which emphasizes that true wisdom begins with recognizing one's own ignorance and limits, sparking continuous learning. Other paradoxes include the idea that no one knowingly does wrong (because all wrongdoing stems from ignorance) and that one doesn't truly understand a concept unless they can explicitly define it (the Socratic fallacy), highlighting the need for rigorous self-examination and definition.