Socrates had an early interest in the scientific theories of Anaxagoras who
taught the there are an infinite number of different kinds of elementary
particles (atoms) and it is the action of Mind upon these that produces the
objects that we see. Socrates believed that the senses of the body created
difficulty for the thinking of the mind and came to regard the physical world as
deceptive.
He believed that his work, which he sought to understand through critical
questioning and dialogue, was given to him as a divine mission and, hence, was
his duty. His total lack of interest in material possessions was evident by