How Did Socrates Know Thyself?

Trench trudges across the black-sand beach. A helmet pins to his head with a crescent stenciled across its chipped crown. Some bloodstains never wash out.

Socrates was a Greek philosopher who stood for knowledge and virtue. He believed that in order for people to live their best lives, it is necessary for them to do what is right. “It is wicked and shameful to do wrong, to disobey ones superior, be he god or man (Cooper, 29b).” Socrates represents self-knowledge which is evident through his quest for finding someone who was wiser than he was. After his run ins with the likes of the local politicians, craftsmen and poets, Socrates comes to the realization that although these individuals had mastered their craft and were knowledgeable in their field of work, they were clueless in many other important aspects of life. Through this awareness, he accepts the fact that

Socrates thinks that it requires wisdom to know the difference between the knowledge and an opinion. And what he means by that is knowledge is based on reasoned ideas beliefs, and can be proved and confirmed by rational arguments, where’s other opinion is not proved. For Socrates, the reason is the bigger way to show the truth. Socrates explained that role model is how to act well for example an equivalent way, knowledge is in an unqualified manner, according to Socrates statement beauty and wealth could benefit us sometimes if we used correctly, however, also harm to us if we did not use it the right way. This is means with knowledge we know how to act well. Socrates explained of wisdom and knowledge, as expressed by Plato in The Apology (StevenM. Cahn 29p-30), is sometimes interpreted as an example of a humility theory of wisdom Socrates and his friend Chaerephon visit the oracle at Delphi. As the story goes Chaerephon asks the oracle

The phrase “I know that I know nothing”, often referred to as the Socratic paradox is famous saying that has been derived from Plato’s account of Socrates in The Apology. It demonstrates Socrates moral philosophy that true wisdom is accepting one’s ignorance. In Delphi of Ancient Greece, there is a sacred temple that lived a woman who has been known to be possessed by the gods, and thus able to obtain answers from them. In 440 BC, the Oracle of Apollo declared that “Socrates was the wisest”, and in great disbelief it made Socrates feel obliged to seek the true meaning of her remark. Socrates did this by “interviewing everyone who had a reputation for knowledge” to prove the oracle was wrong. For instance, in Plato’s Euthyphro, Socrates

What I have noticed while reading Plato's works (Socratic Dialogues) is that Socrates does not seem to imply that he is smarter than other people. In fact, he admits to his own ignorance in the Apology. Regarding knowledge, Socrates believed that true knowledge is knowing that one knows nothing. While I agree with Socrates, is not knowing still a claim to knowledge? Is awareness of ignorance some kind of knowledge?

At 21d Socrates says: "…when I do not know, neither do I think I know; so I am likely to be wiser than he to this small extent, that I do not think I know what I do not know." (Plato, 23)

Socrates first major point to the council in his defense came early in “Plato’s Apology”. He described a time when he used to travel seeking others just as highly educated as he was. This group consisted of “poets, politicians, and many others” (70). His idea was to see how wise and truthful these people really were, and he noticed a common theme “I am wiser than this human being… but he supposes he knows something when he does not know, while I just as I do not know, do not even suppose that I do… that whatever I do not know, I do not even suppose I know” (70) .Socrates is providing in detail about how he’s

Socrates is saying souls know everything through its experiences. When people are learning they are just recollecting knowledge that the soul has, as he says here, “it is in no way surprising that it(the soul) can recollect about virtue and other things, since it knew them

Along with reason, another one of Socrates’ essential beliefs was that once virtue was learned, an intentionally unvirtuous thing could never be done. During the course of his exchange with Crito, Socrates says, “We are never intentionally to do wrong… injustice is always an evil and dishonor to him who acts unjustly”. Socrates whole-heartily believed that, once virtue was learned, no man could ever do wrong intentionally. However, had Socrates abandoned Athens, that would have been exactly what he would have done. Looking back on Socrates’ teachings, future scholars would have been hesitant to believe that Socrates actually believed what he was teaching because he was not will to die for what he believed to be right. Socrates, being a virtuous

To Socrates, wisdom or what made a person wise was their ability to admit their ignorance, which would consequently open their minds to acquire wisdom and knowledge through clarity. Therefore, when the Oracle at Delphi proclaimed Socrates as the wisest man in Athens, which baffled Socrates as he did not consider himself to be wise. He acknowledged his ignorance which propelled him to conduct a second-order investigation to prove that he was not the wisest like he was told. After conversing to individuals who were considered wise, by societal standards, He became aware and made them aware of their ignorance. The fact that they knew that they were “wise” was the root of the ignorance - so when Socrates shed light of that, a dislike by those

Socrates believes that one must know that they are not wise in order to possess pure wisdom. This wisdom will enlighten

Everyone is influenced by their surrounds, and the people they choose to be around, whether they are being influenced in a positive or negative way, in Macbeth’s case, he was highly negatively impacted. Macbeth starts out as a good person, and good soldier, true to his king, that is, until he meets the weird sisters who predict he himself will be king. With the influence of his wife, he becomes treacherous, and no longer has a know between right and wrong. By the end of the story, Macbeth was so caught up in his ambitious power hungry circle that he ended up getting killed by it, after having just about everyone turn on him. The negative influences that affect Macbeth for the worst throughout the story happen to be his wife, his conscience, and three weird sisters he meets one day in a field; all of these influences change Macbeth for the worst, causing turmoil all throughout the story.

In Apology, Socrates first claims himself as the wisest man by talking about his friend Chaerephon’s conversation with Delphi: “he asked if any man was wiser than I, and the Pythian replied that no one was wiser”. (Apology, 21a) Socrates then elaborates about his claim by comparing his wisdom with the politician he visits: “It is unlikely that neither of us knows anything worthwhile, but he thinks he knows something when he does not, whereas when I don’t know, neither do I think I know”. (Apology, 21d) What sets Socrates apart is his conscience of his own ignorance.

If Socrates were alive today, how must he feel about the Delphic inscription of “Know thyself” would still be a relevant question in which our society is still trying to answer in 21st Century living? In today’s fast paced society, the individual can easily get dehumanized by their work, technology, family commitments and the political process. A person is easily swayed by public opinion and not be able to think for themselves in fear of retribution and conflict. Sometimes it is easier to go with the mass than being the obstacle in the river that moves the water move in a different direction. If one seeks to attain self-knowledge before commenting on other matters I believe that our society today would be a more compromising and better place.

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