---
title: "Socrates | Greek philosophy | Thought Archive"
number: "039"
slug: "039-socrates"
author: "Wenzi / 文子"
language: "en"
canonical: "https://tongzai.space/en/thought-archive/039-socrates/"
is_primary_text: true
---

# Socrates（Greek philosophy）



## Common research question

**Did Socrates really say I know that I know nothing?**

“I know that I know nothing” is usually a shorthand for accounts such as Plato's Apology, not a secure verbatim quotation. Socrates probes virtue, knowledge, and the examined life. Because he left no writings, one must distinguish the Socrates presented by Plato, Xenophon, and other witnesses.

## Interpretive boundary

There is no author-written Socratic text; later slogans cannot establish his final doctrine.

## Archive evidence

- [E-02 ｜ Apology 20e—21b](#E-02)
- [E-03 ｜ Apology 21b—21d](#E-03)