Wikipedia
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’”. Through his portrayal in Plato’s dialogues, Socrates has become renowned for his contribution to the field of ethics...
Mairdie, if I may...?
That is not to say that we are getting our Socrates info from Wikipedia.
That wasn’t my question. I am very familiar with Plato, the dialogues, Plato’s Republic and with some of the “introduction to Philosophy” comments made about Plato and Socrates. I am very familiar with who Plato says Socrates was. I am not familiar with any writings of Socrates. It sounded like you and Cletus were privy to information I was unaware of.
Socrates did not write anything that I am aware of. Anything attributed to him is through Plato. Anything after Plato begins with Aristotle. There were thinkers before Plato and his ‘mentor’ Socrates.
IIRC Thales is credited as the first Philosopher. A bit later comes a name almost everyone is familiar with, which is Hipprocates. Some say he was a philosopher other just stop and say he was the father of medicine. Regardless, he was just prior to Socrates/Plato and his name is used in the title of the medical doctor’s Hippocratic oath.