He was a funny-looking man with a cheerful face, good-natured and a great talker. He was {{U}}(36) {{/U}} by his student, the great philosopher Plato. as "the best and most just and wisest man". Yet this same man was {{U}}(37) {{/U}} to death for his beliefs by a jury composed of the leading figures of the time in Athens.
The man was the Greek philosopher Socrates, and he was put to death for not believing in the recognized gods and for {{U}}(38) {{/U}} young people. The second charge stemmed from his {{U}}(39) {{/U}} with numerous young men who came to Athens from all over the {{U}}(40) {{/U}} world to study under him.
Socrates' method of teaching was to ask questions and, by {{U}}(41) {{/U}} not to know the answers, to {{U}}(42) {{/U}} his students into thinking for themselves. His teachings had {{U}}(43) {{/U}} influence on all the great Greek and Roman schools of philosophy. Yet for all his fame and influence, Socrates himself never wrote a word.
Socrates {{U}}(44) {{/U}} in Athens. They wanted him silenced. Yet many were probably surprised that he accepted death so readily.
Socrates {{U}}(45) {{/U}} . But Socrates, as a firm believer in law, reasoned that it was proper to submit to the death sentence. {{U}}(46) {{/U}} .