Full Idea
It is not surprising that Socrates sought essences. His project was to establish formal reasoning, of whose syllogisms essences are the foundations.
Gist of Idea
Socrates sought essences, which are the basis of formal logic
Source
report of Socrates (reports of career [c.420 BCE]) by Aristotle - Metaphysics 1078b22
Book Reference
Politis,Vasilis: 'Aristotle and the Metaphysics' [Routledge 2004], p.402
A Reaction
This seems to reinforce the definitional view of essences, since definitions seem to be at the centre of most of Socrates's quests.