Socrates demon-posessed?
Socrates was under the influence of a spirit, which Plato quotes him as describing:
There is something spiritual which, by a divine dispensation, has accompanied me from my childhood up. It is a voice that, when it occurs, always indicates to me a prohibition of something I may be about to do, but never urges me on to anything ; and if one of my friends consults me and the voice occurs, the same thing happens : it prohibits, and does not allow him to act. And I will produce witnesses to convince you of these facts.
[Plato: Theages]
Xenophon writes in his Memorabilia:
He offered sacrifices constantly, and made no secret of it, now in his home, now at the altars of the state temples, and he made use of divination with as little secrecy. Indeed it had become notorious that Socrates claimed to be guided by ‘the deity:’
Only, whereas most men say that the birds or the folk they meet dissuade or encourage them, Socrates said what he meant: for he said that the deity gave him a sign. Many of his companions were counselled by him to do this or not to do that in accordance with the warnings of the deity: and those who followed his advice prospered, and those who rejected it had cause for regret.
This may offer some insight as to what inspires men like Joseph Smith and Muhammad to do some of the things they did.
If Socrates was inspired in the same way as JS and Mo then humanity is lose and w/o hope. Fortunately, no man of reason believes this. Only the religious or superstitious could even raise this question.
So what do you make of Socrates belief in a demon that inspired him?