[Socrates c. 470-399 BC, the first great Athenian Philosopher] Though he never wrote anything, Socrates is considered the first great Athenian philosopher. His students Plato, Aristophanes, and a number of other Greeks wrote what we know of him. This son of a stonemason spent his life engaging others in conversation and debate, as a means of deriving truth. He would go about town and ask questions of anyone and everyone, both in pursuit of truth and in an attempt to get people thinking critically about their answers.
The method he employed, foundational to Western academics, has since been called the Socratic method
