Socrates is an idealist. He openly preached theological idealism and believed that everything in the universe was created and dominated by God. He believes that there are no laws to follow in nature, and it is meaningless to study nature, but the human soul can be known. In Socrates' view, man is a free individual with thoughts, all his actions are determined by reason, and the highest goodness is wisdom. Therefore, he advocates that people should not explore natural phenomena, but should fully study their own minds, explore and seek eternal truth in self-knowledge, and seek the highest goodness of mankind-wisdom.
In Socrates' view, virtue is not innate, but can be acquired by exploring in one's own mind. Therefore, he emphasized that education is a process of guiding young students to improve their personality, that is, a process of teaching people knowledge and wisdom. He believes that in Athens, only the noble children of slave owners have good thinking ability, and they can receive education and become the rulers of a country with perfect virtues. Therefore, he emphasized that the purpose of Athens education is to cultivate "knowledge by knowing yourself, and eventually become a wise and morally perfect person."