Who was Socrates and why was he important?

Socrates was a philosopher who concentrated on teaching young men. After a life of hard work, serving in the army and public service, he became seen as an enemy to the state because he was influencing the young people to think for themselves rather than follow the accepted ideas and causes blindly.

His example and leadership in self-examination and independent thought underpins that part of today's academic community who think rationally and do not pursue group-think causes and self-interest.