# Socrates — Tusculan Disputations character guide

> Socrates in Tusculan Disputations by Cicero.

**Role:** major

**Also known as:** Socrates

**First appearance:** 0001-tusculan-disputations

## Snapshot

The Athenian who drank the hemlock calmly, offering Cicero his supreme proof that a good man can meet death without flinching.

## Who they are

Socrates hovers over the whole discussion as the living demonstration of everything Cicero wants to prove about virtue and mortality. He is the philosopher who reasoned his way to death and then walked into it without panic, making his composure a harder test case than any argument. For Cicero, Socrates matters because he shows that philosophy is not a pastime but a preparation for dying, and that the examined life can produce genuine fearlessness.

## Relationships

### [Diogenes the Stoic](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tusculan_disputations_se/characters/diogenes_the_stoic)

_social_

Diogenes the Stoic (often confused with Diogenes the Cynic) is frequently compared to Socrates as a model of philosophical virtue and asceticism.

### [Philo of Larissa](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tusculan_disputations_se/characters/philo_of_larissa)

_social_

Philo of Larissa, as an Academic philosopher, traces his intellectual lineage back to Socrates, often invoking Socratic methods.

## In the story

### [Tusculan Disputations](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tusculan_disputations_se/chapters/tusculan-disputations)

Praised as the founder of moral philosophy; his method of inquiry and contempt for death are frequently cited.

### [Book I: On the Contempt of Death](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tusculan_disputations_se/chapters/book-i-on-the-contempt-of-death)

Cited as a model of contempt for death; his calm acceptance of his own execution and his remarks on burial are discussed.

### [Book III: On Grief of Mind](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tusculan_disputations_se/chapters/book-iii-on-grief-of-mind)

Cited for his steady countenance, as observed by Xantippe, exemplifying the wise man's equanimity.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tusculan_disputations_se/characters/socrates
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tusculan_disputations_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tusculan_disputations_se/characters