Socrates was a classical Athenian philosopher.
Philosophy ( from Greek φιλοσοφία , philosophia , literally `` love of wisdom '' ) is the study of general and fundamental problems concerning matters such as existence , knowledge , values , reason , mind , and language . Socrates ( [ ˈsɒkrətiːz ] Σωκράτης [ - grcsɔːkrátɛːs ] , Sōkrátēs ; 470/469 -- 399 BC ) was a classical Greek ( Athenian ) philosopher credited as one of the founders of Western philosophy . Plato 's dialogues are among the most comprehensive accounts of Socrates to survive from antiquity , though it is unclear the degree to which Socrates himself is `` hidden behind his ` best disciple ' , Plato '' .