The ancient Greek philosopher sentenced to death for corrupting the youth was Socrates. In 399 BCE, he was tried and found guilty of impiety and corrupting the morals of the young men of Athens. Socrates famously chose to accept the death sentence rather than retreat from his beliefs or compromise his principles. His method of questioning, known as the Socratic method, laid the groundwork for Western philosophy. His writings, primarily through the accounts of his student Plato, continue to influence philosophical thought regarding ethics, knowledge, and the pursuit of virtue.