Exploring Socrates's Thoughts about City and Citizenship (399-469) BC

Socrates was born in 469 BC. He is the founder of the ‘Western Political Philosophy’. In his youth he became interested in philosophy and then he became interested in naturalist philosophy. He was also fascinated by the sophists. But neither the philosophy of naturalism nor the Sophists’ thoughts and ideas could persuade him. Socrates is a thinker who wants to express his views on life, politics, and social relations within the context of citizenship and the rights of citizens, and to state the principles that followed him by his disciples, especially Plato, and through him Aristotle, as the foundations of the idea of utopia. He places everything on the basis of reasonableness and rationality based on ‘human morality’ and by posing ‘the position of man and human morality in society’, he created a turning point in the course of the philosophical thought of the city. He initiated the rational measurement of the concept and ideas in a manner that is systematic. Hence, Socrates in the history of Western thought is a reference; because one can speak of ‘before Socrates’ and ‘after Socrates’ thoughts. The purpose of this article is to explore Socrates’s influential views on what would later be referred to as ‘Utopia’. It includes his personality, the factors influencing the city and the Athenian citizens in his critical views, the philosophical teaching of Socrates, and the evolution of his thoughts. The paper uses a descriptive-analytical study based on documentation and evidence related to Socrates derived from library resources. This exploration shows that the principles of the city and the citizenship of Socrates, as influenced by the times of the city of Athens, can be found in some of the following ways: 1. Wisdom, courage, chastity, justice, Godliness; 2. Virtue and justice, ethics and politics; 3. Goodness and beauty and usefulness of wisdom and knowledge, self-knowledge, awareness and awakening ; 4. Contemplation, exploration; 5. Education, merit, courtesy and bliss; 6. Meritocracy and law and order; 7. The rule of wisdom and rightfulness and justice . These principles affects almost the entire forthcoming utopian thoughts.