Thought and action. Lessons from Socrates

The article deals with the problem of the relationship between thinking and deeds in ancient philosophy, using the example of Socrates. The figure of Socrates serves as a key object for consideration. The first part briefly reproduces the dispute about the possibility to make a reliable reconstruction of the personality of Socrates and answer the question: who is Socrates -the poetic image of a philosopher or a real historical person. This is followed by the analysis of the image of Socrates in the works of ancient authors. It is dealt with the image of the philosopher is correlated with his methods - irony and Socratic dialogue. The question is raised about the purpose of the Socratic dialogue. The principle of «taking care of the self» is represented and further it is interpreted with reference to ancient philosophy. The last part analyzes the dialogue «Fedon» as the final story of Socrates. The attitude to death of Socrates, the relation of attitude to death and his philosophical views are analyzed. An attempt is made to comprehend actions of Socrates as the realisation of thinking in deed, as a philosophical practice and as what Pierre Ado would later call «the practice of death».