The lecture from Michel Foucault's last year of life confronts Socrates with the Cynics, the radiant founding figure of Western philosophy, and the self-proclaimed underdogs of thought. The Cynics align themselves with the tradition established by Socrates, a tradition of courage that risks anger, rage, revenge, and even legal proceedings to compel people, against their will, to care for themselves, their souls, and the truth. This examination of oneself and others was crucial for the forthcoming technologies of the self.