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Essay on socrates and wisdom
Socrates And The Search For Wisdom
Socrates and the pursuit of wisdom
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The Search for Wisdom
Wisdom, as defined in the dictionary, is "the sum of learning through the ages; knowledge". Plato's Socrates indicates that wisdom is the acknowledgement of ignorance. This statement may be hard to prove as true. If a deaf and dumb man came to realize that he knew nothing, because he is not able to learn it, does this make him wise? I do not believe so. Then, if a prominent professor who has studied for years and has learned many things, comes to believe that he is ignorant to the true ways of the world, does that make him wise? Possibly so. So, what is the difference here? The difference is knowledge. I believe, and the dictionary points to the fact that, one must contain a great deal of knowledge to be wise.
In Apology, Socrates says that "What is probable, gentlemen, is the fact that the god is wise and that his oracular response meant that human wisdom is worth little or nothing..." This statement comes from Socrates after he has searched Athens for a person that was wise. It may be true that his god was wise, as gods are usually all-knowing beings. But what makes a god wise? It must be his knowledge of all earthly things. Then, why is human wisdom worth little or nothing? It may seem like human wisdom is worth little or nothing in comparison with the wisdom of the gods, though in comparison to other humans, why should human wisdom be worth little or nothing? I believe...
Most people know what wisdom is. On the other hand though, why is it valued so highly in western civilization? Wisdom is a building block of western civilization. Wisdom was valued even in ancient Greece. Socrates was known as the wise scholar. Wisdom has always been a trait that people have admired. Wisdom is admired because wisdom leads to make right choices in life. A wise person would know when to push their luck or when to back down. The complete understanding of a situation is a very desirable trait for all people.
As Socrates state “visible realm should be likened to the prison dwelling, and the light inside it to the power of the sun, if you interpret the upward journey and the study of things above as the upward journey of the soul to the intelligible realm” (Grube, p. 189), anyone who accepts rationalized ideas from the external world live in the visible realm and those who question their own ideas rationalized from the external world live in the knowledge realm. this is referenced in the Apology when Socrates said “I am wiser than this man; it is likely that neither of us knows anything worthwhile, but he thinks he knows something when he does not, whereas 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” (Hackett, p. 26 d). Socrates is wiser for he has questioned his rationalized ideas, whereas, the man has accepted his ideas without contemplation. This is true in my life as I have known extremist Muslims, their perception is limited only to the Koran for they make the assumption that the Koran is true without evidence or
In the Apology, Socrates was told by the Delphic Oracle that there was nobody wiser than him. With ancient Greece having been a prominent home of philosophy and art since before Socrates' time, the Athenian court found his proclamation both insulting and hard to believe. Socrates goes through great lengths to find the wisest of men and seeing if their reputations are in fact true. He hoped to find a man wiser than him to prove the oracles prediction was false, even Socrates failed to believe he was the wisest man. He first went to a man that seemed wise. After he spoke with him Plato quotes "I came to see that, though many persons, and chiefly himself, thought that he was wise, yet he was not wise."(77) With his certainty that Socrates was wiser, the man was insulted and hated Socrates for derailing his intelligence. Socrates then goes to another wise man, but is again let down. He still believes he is wiser. Convinced that he would not find a more intelligent man amongst wise men, he then questioned the more "educated people", such as poets and artisans. According to Plato, Socrates says "I imagine, they find a great abundance of men who think that they know a great...
Wisdom is the synthesis of knowledge and experiences into insights that deepen one’s understanding of relationships and the meaning of life. In other words, knowledge is a tool, and wisdom is the craft in which the tool is used. (Knowledge vs. Wisdom)
While Solomon and Socrates had the same perspective on what wisdom was, they had contrasting understandings on where it came from. Solomon’s definition of wisdom was the knowledge of making wise choices. Proverbs 1:2-3 says,
What does it mean to be wise? Webster's Dictionary defines the word "wise" as being "marked by deep understanding, keen discerment". Through the telling of the ancient Mariner's tale, the Wedding-Guest became sadder and wiser. He became sad in that he identified himself with the shallow and self-absorbed mariner. However, the mariner changed his ways. The Wedding-Guest became wise through realizing that he himself needed to alter his ways.
In addition, the knowledgeable are more likely to be more sound and more likely to lead you to a life worth living. For example, in the dialogue, Socrates states, “one should greatly value some opinions, but not others. Does that seem sound (Socrates, The Crito pg. 5)?” Yes, because if I was sick and the majority were going to a waitress because he or she was cheaper, I would still choose to go to a doctor. I would rather listen to someone wise than go to someone with lesser knowledge for a cheaper amount. Also, Socrates’s claim is justified because of one of his arguments he presents in the dialogue. He states that taking part in an unacceptable action can ruin your soul and life is not worth living if it means having a ruined soul. Therefore; Socrates is saying he would rather die than live a dull life. Socrates believed that feeling pure inside was far more important than lying, cheating, and guilting his way out. He would much rather have a pure soul than an evil soul like the unintelligent guards (Socrates, The Crito pg. 8). Even though this argument seems solid, there is still objections to Socrates’s claim.
Throughout history different segments of society have struggled for such liberties as personal freedom and eternal happiness. For centuries man has attempted to "find" himself, posing the questions "Who am I?" and "Who do I want to be?" People tend to express themselves physically, spiritually, psychologically, and emotionally in order to promote their image, their sense of identity and individualism. During the late 1820's and 1830's, Transcendentalism emerged as the defining American philosophy. A movement which intertwined the study of truth, religion, and literature, stressing the value of intellectual reason as the path to divine wisdom. Ralph Waldo Emerson's Nature and Henry David Thoreau's Walden both express insights into the divinity of the human person transcending material possessions and conformist ways of thinking.
Webster’s dictionary defines wisdom as, “the quality or state of being wise; knowledge of what is true or right coupled with just judgment as to action; sagacity, discernment, or insight.” (p. 724) To gain such knowledge, one may consider many years of school. Perhaps a Bachelor’s degree or even a Master’s degree will help one to achieve great wisdom. Or maybe just a life time of experience is what one needs to gain this kind of wisdom. Wright (1989) defines wisdom as “The practical translation and application of the Word of God to everyday life.” (p. 69) Wright (1989) does not speak of the kind of wisdom gained through scholarly books. He speaks of Biblical wisdom. He speaks of the wisdom that comes from great scriptures such as Proverbs 2:10-11, “When wisdom enters your heart, and knowledge is pleasant to your soul, discretion will preserve you; understanding will keep you.” (The Holy Bible NKJV, 1986) According to Wright, (1989) there are 4 important components to achieving the kind of wisdom he speaks about.
People, who by their nature, have the ability to gain knowledge and understand the consequences of decisions made about the state. With this knowledge, these people possess the virtue of wisdom. Plato as Socrates makes an argument about the difference between knowledge and wisdom. He says, “There is knowledge of the carpenter; but is that the sort of knowledge which gives a city the title of wise and good in counsel?” He then says “Then a city is not to be called wise because possessing a knowledge which counsels for the best about wooden implements”.
The oracle at Delphi said to Socrates’ friend, Chaerephon, that there is no man wiser than Socrates. In disbelief and not agreeing to be the wisest man, Socrates went on to investigate by examining all men that he thought to be wise. His goal was to find a man that is wiser than him in order to tell the oracle he was incorrect. He went to a public man first, as he thought he would live up to the expectation of public man to be wise. However, he found out that although he appeared to be wise to himself and other, he was in fact not wise (Plato, 24). When Socrates tried to show the man that he was not wise like he considered himself to be, the man came to dislike him (Plato, 25). He then rationalizes to himself: “‘It is likely that neither of
If one asks the majority of people what the word wisdom means, most will answer vaguely that it is the knowledge gained during a lifetime. However, wisdom is much more than just knowledge gained; it signifies the accumulation of knowledge, the application of learning, and the personification of God's will in the creation of the universe (according to the American Heritage Dictionary, 6th ed.).
It would make sense to say someone who knows nothing is not wise. Following that same reasoning, the wisest man alive should surely know something, and that is in fact the case with Socrates. Socrates plans on kicking the tires of this theory with a testable and repeatable process. “I went to one of those who had the character of being wise, think that there, if anywhere, I should confute to the oracle, and show in answer to the response that This man is wiser than I,” and that is exactly what he does. Socrates then went to all men who thought themselves wise, and upon speaking with each of these wise men he discovered an issue with their claim. The mistake Socrates makes here has nothing to with his theory or with the practice he used in testing his hypothesis. Socrates makes a blunder in his defense - the problem is that the men before him are entirely aware what he did, because they are the type of men, and possible they very same men Socrates fought with and told them they know nothing.These men fancy to know what they do not according to Socrates: Lawyers, Politicians, Poets, Artisans – essentially every type of person who might have the afternoon off to see this trail, or maybe even serve as judges. An action any attorney would advise against, shortly after finishing his opening argument Socrates ridicules everyone in Athens who claims to know something. Socrates is on trial
Socrates was a philosopher who set out to prove, to the gods, that he wasn't the wisest man. Since he could not afford a "good" Sophist teacher, surely a student of one had to be smarter than he. He decides to converse with the youth of Athens, but concludes that he actually is wiser than everyone he speaks with. He then realizes that their lack of intelligence is the fault of their teachers. Socrates understands that the practice of "sophism" leads to a lack of self-knowledge and moral values. Socrates was later accused of corrupting the youth of Athens and put on trial. In The Apology of Socrates he sta...
What makes someone wise? I believe wisdom goes hand in hand with the self-awareness of ignorance. One of the best examples of this is Socrates. Socrates was thought by many to have been a very wise man simply because he acknowledged his own ignorance. I contend that when a person recognizes their lack of absolute intelligence, that person becomes more adept and open to learning. In The Apology, Plato recounts the words of Socrates while on trial in Athens and the following points support my assumption: