Add to ORKGSocrates was a classical Greek philosopher . Though he made no writings, he was well known as one of the wisest men of his time . Socrates was always questioning other people’s behaviour and thoughts. He especially questioned the collective notion of "might makes right" that he felt was common in Greece during this period. Socrates's paradoxical wisdom made the prominent Athenians he publicly questioned look foolish, turning them against him and leading to accusations of wrongdoing. Socrates defended his role as a gadfly as Plato named him, until the end: at his trial, when Socrates was asked to propose his own punishment, he suggested a wage paid by the government and free dinners for the rest of his life instead, to fina...