The Life of Socrates

Socrates was born in ATHENS, AROUND 470 AC., and became one of the MOST SIGNIFICANT thinkers of ANCIENT Greece. HIS FATHER WAS A SCULPTOR, Sofrônico, and HIS MOTHER WAS A MIDWIFE, Fenáreta.  AS A YOUNG MAN HE ATTEMPTED to follow the same profession AS his father. He STUDIED Music and Literature, but ULTIMATELY he dedicated HIMSELF entirely to XX meditation and philosophical education, - ACTIVITIES FOR WHICH HE WAS NOT PAID. Nobody knows for certain who XXX his teachers of Philosophy WERE. What IS KNOWN is that Socrates WAS FAMILIAR WITH the doctrines of Parmenides, Heraclites, Anaxagoras and THOSE of THE sophists.
 
BECAUSE young Socrates became known for his courage and for his intellect HE SERVED IN  THE Army, occupied VARIOUS political positions and always MAINTAINED THE REPUTATION OF AN irreproachable model of A good citizen. As REGARDS HIS family IT CAN BE ASSERTED WITH SOME DEGREE OF CERTAINTY that Socrates did not have an ideal woman in HIS WIFE XANTHIPPE; but NEITHER DID SHE have an ideal husband in the figure of the philosopher, WHO WAS OCCUPIED with PHILOSOPHICAL CONCERNS AND NOT domestic ones. Socrates WOULD OFTEN ATTEND the symposiums, WHERE IN A FRIENDLY ATMOSPHERE MUCH DRINK WOULD BE CONSUMED. IN FACT, He was a drinker of some REPUTE, and was known for remaining sober even when all AROUND HIM already were completely DRUNK / INTOXICATED.

(nb 1 tipsy means a little drunk – therefore you can’t be completely tipsy)

(nb 2 Xanthippe was famed for her sharp tongue and is said to have been the only person to ever have beaten Socrates in a discussion. After one particular quarrel, she was supposed to have emptied a chamber pot on Socrates's head, causing him to remark, "After thunder there generally falls rain.")