Compare And Contrast Socrates Pursuit Of Wisdom

Philosophy can be defined as the pursuit of wisdom or the love of knowledge. It is the product of education and experience, but more than the accumulation of information. Socrates, one of the most well-known of the early philosophers, epitomizes the concept of what is necessary of a true pursuer of wisdom: devoting his entire life to introspection, discussion and travel in search of the true meaning of the word. Divulged through Plato’s writings, Socrates is recognized for developing meanings of previously undefined concepts, such as truth, wisdom, and beauty. Due to Socrates’ role as a mouthpiece for his student’s ideas about the world, the creator of certain theories and concepts are not always distinguishable. That being said, both Socrates

Heraclitus of Epheseus, a pre-Socratic Greek philosopher, warned that “one ought not to talk or act as if one was asleep”, cautioning against the tendency of many people to live their lives unreflectively, and without much thought. Embracing this piece of advice, Socrates made tangible differences to his lifestyle. For contextual reasons, it is important to note that Socrates was raised by a family of good standing, and moved with ease in the most select circles of society. He served in the army, and was renown for fighting with great bravery. Despite countless opportunities to live a lavish life, he shunned luxury, and he lived simply. Characterizing himself as an annoying, incessantly biting insect called a gadfly, Socrates embraced Heraclitus’ advice and sought to impose this lesson onto as many others, regardless of class, as he could. Socrates’ mission in life quickly transformed from one of learning from those he once thought to be wiser than himself to one of teaching. Seeing himself as on a mission from the god Apollo, who wishes for him to demonstrate his newfound knowledge, Socrates spread his thoughts on the nature of wisdom to all of the people Athens. He travelled about the city and questioned those he considered wiser than himself; this time, however, his purpose was not to glean their meaning of wisdom, but to show the people he is questioning

Socrates pursued this mission by exploring the mind through verbal interchange—a practice that would later become known as dialogue. True to his belief that he was no more wise than those around him and that philosophy was best explored through conversation with others, Socrates exchanged information with his peers in a style of education much less domineering than a lecture. The Socratic method, which is denotatively described as an investigation of complete issues through a question-and-answer format involves a conversation in which a student is asked to question their assumptions. It is a forum for open-ended inquiry, one in which both student and teacher can use probing questions to develop a deeper understanding of the topic. This dynamic form of research is what allowed Socrates to develop his most profound understanding of major human experiences, such as knowledge, morality, justice, beauty or