Glossary

These are the key words from this book. Some of them are Greek. All of them matter.

Apology In ancient Greek, this word means a defense speech. It does not mean saying sorry. When Socrates gave his Apology, he was defending himself in court, not apologizing.

Arete (Virtue) The Greek word arete means something closer to excellence than to goodness. It means being the best version of what you are. For Socrates, arete was not about following rules. It was about genuinely becoming a good person, from the inside out.

Crito Socrates’ old friend, a wealthy Athenian who tried to arrange his escape. Also the name of the Platonic dialogue that records their conversation in prison the morning before the execution.

Daimon Your inner voice. The deep part of you that knows right from wrong before you have even had time to think about it. Socrates said his daimon would stop him, like a quiet warning, whenever he was about to do something wrong.

Delphi The most important religious site in ancient Greece, located on the slopes of Mount Parnassus. Home of the Oracle of Apollo, where a priestess called the Pythia was believed to speak messages from the god. Two words were carved above the entrance: Know Thyself.

Dialectic The Socratic method of finding truth by asking questions back and forth. You make a claim. I question it. You revise your claim. I question that. Eventually, if you are both honest, you get closer to the truth than either of you could get alone.

Dialogue The literary form Plato used to write philosophy. Instead of a lecture, the ideas come out through a conversation between characters. This matters because it shows that philosophy is not a body of answers to be memorized. It is a way of thinking that only happens when two people are willing to examine things together.

Eudaimonia A Greek word usually translated as happiness, but it means more than that. It means flourishing. Living well. Being the kind of person who is fully awake, fully alive, actually using your potential. The Greeks believed eudaimonia was the goal of human life.

The Examined Life Socrates’ central idea: a life that is never honestly looked at is not truly lived. You should know why you do what you do, and whether you actually believe in it. Most people never ask.

Gadfly A small biting insect that lands on large animals. Socrates used this image to describe himself in relation to Athens. The city was the horse. He was the fly that kept biting until the horse paid attention. Irritating, yes. Also necessary.

Gnothi Seauton “Know thyself.” Two words carved above the entrance to the Oracle at Delphi. Socrates believed these two words contained everything important about how to live.

Hemlock The poison used to execute Socrates. It comes from a plant. It causes paralysis that slowly moves up the body until it reaches the heart. It was considered a dignified way to die in ancient Athens, used only for citizens.

The Laws In the Crito dialogue, Socrates imagines the Laws of Athens personified as a voice speaking to him. This is a literary device. The argument the Laws make is that by living seventy years under Athenian protection, Socrates has agreed to abide by Athenian decisions, including this one.

Meletus The young man who formally brought the charges against Socrates. He was a poet. The other two accusers were Anytus (a politician) and Lycon (a rhetorician), but Meletus was the official prosecutor.

Oracle at Delphi A famous religious site in ancient Greece where a priestess called the Pythia was believed to speak messages from the god Apollo. People traveled from all over the Mediterranean to ask her questions. Her answers were often mysterious, but always taken seriously.

Phaedo The Platonic dialogue that records the final hours of Socrates and the moment of his death. It is named after one of his students who was present that day.

Plato A young man of noble family who became Socrates’ student. After Socrates died, Plato wrote down everything he could remember of his teacher, in the form of dialogues. Almost everything we know about Socrates comes from these writings. Plato later founded a school called the Academy.

Prytaneum The public hall in Athens where Olympic champions and other honored citizens were given free meals for life. When Socrates jokingly proposed this as his “penalty,” he was making a serious point about what kind of life actually deserves civic honor.

Sophist A type of teacher in ancient Athens who charged money to teach people how to win arguments and give persuasive speeches. Socrates had two differences from them: he charged nothing, and he was interested in truth, not in winning.

Soul (Psyche) In Greek philosophy, the psyche is not just a religious concept. It is the part of you that thinks, chooses, and cares. It is who you actually are. Socrates believed taking care of your soul, making it genuinely good, was the most important thing a person could do.

The Thirty A group of thirty men who seized control of Athens in 404 BC and ruled through fear, arresting and executing people they saw as threats. Socrates refused to help them. He risked his life to do so.

Xanthippe Socrates’ wife. History remembers her mostly through the writings of others, some of whom portrayed her as sharp-tongued. She was the mother of his three sons. On the last day of his life, she and their youngest child were in the prison cell with him before his friends arrived.