Malcolm Rivera
Socrates is considered a paragon of wisdom, even though he didn't consider himself wise. His philosophy revolves around the idea that knowledge is the most valuable thing in life, and that it is essential to live an examined life. Socrates believed that wisdom is a sort of recognition of one's own ignorance, and that true wisdom may only be attainable by the gods. This consciousness of his own ignorance led him to engage in philosophical debates, challenging the implicit moral beliefs of his interlocutors and questioning commonly held concepts such as justice, virtue, courage, and piety. Socrates' view of wisdom can be interpreted as an epistemic accuracy theory, where a wise person is accurate about what they know and what they do not know.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Wisdom as epistemic humility | Socrates believed that wisdom is a sort of recognition of one's own ignorance. |
| Wisdom as epistemic accuracy | Socrates believed that one should restrict their confidence to propositions for which they have knowledge or excellent justification. |
| Wisdom as knowledge | Socrates believed that knowledge is the most valuable thing in life. |
| Wisdom as rationality | Socrates believed that philosophy was an improvement of the soul as it reveals our ignorance. |
| Wisdom as a hybrid theory | Socrates believed that all virtues—justice, wisdom, courage, piety, and so forth—are one. |
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What You'll Learn
Wisdom as epistemic humility
Socrates is often regarded as the father of Western philosophy, but his philosophy was not confined to ivory towers. He spent his life questioning the status quo and encouraging his students to do the same. His views on wisdom, as expressed by Plato in *The Apology*, are sometimes interpreted as an example of a humility theory of wisdom.
Socrates' philosophy revolves around the idea that wisdom is rooted in the recognition of one's ignorance. In other words, true wisdom comes from understanding the limits of one's knowledge and not claiming to know more than one actually does. This is often referred to as "Socratic ignorance" or "Socratic wisdom".
In *The Apology*, Plato describes how Socrates, bewildered by the oracle's statement that no human was wiser than him, sets out to prove it wrong. He interviews politicians, poets, and craftsmen, only to find that they all claim to know more than they actually do. They believe they possess wisdom in areas where they clearly do not, while Socrates humbly acknowledges his own ignorance. This is reflected in his famous quote:
> "I am wiser than this man, for neither of us appears to know anything great and good; but he fancies he knows something, although he knows nothing; whereas I, as I do not know anything, do not fancy I do. In this trifling particular, then, I appear to be wiser than he, because I do not fancy I know what I do not know."
Socrates' view of wisdom can be interpreted as epistemic humility, where wisdom consists of claiming not to know what one does not know. This is in contrast to the poets, politicians, and craftsmen, who arrogantly and falsely believe they possess knowledge they do not. Socrates, on the other hand, only claims to know what he truly knows, and does not assume knowledge beyond that.
Ryan, in her interpretation of Socratic epistemic humility, proposes the following:
> "S is wise iff (i) S is a free agent, (ii) S knows how to live well, (iii) S lives well, and (iv) S's living well is caused by S's knowledge about how to live well."
She argues that wisdom requires more than just a correspondence between what one believes one knows and what one actually knows. It entails a certain way of living and the ability to act on one's knowledge.
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Wisdom as epistemic accuracy
Socrates is known for his unique views on wisdom and knowledge. He is often interpreted as providing an epistemic accuracy theory of wisdom, which suggests that a wise person is accurate about what they know and what they do not know. This is in contrast to an epistemic humility theory, which focuses on the acknowledgment of one's ignorance and the pursuit of knowledge through questioning and self-examination.
According to the epistemic accuracy theory, Socrates believed that he had knowledge only when he truly did, and that wise people restrict their confidence to propositions for which they have knowledge or excellent justification. This theory can be summarized as: "S is wise iff for all p, (S believes S knows p iff S knows p.)". In other words, if a person believes they know something, then they truly know it, and if they know something, then they believe they know it.
Socrates' method of questioning, known as the Socratic Method, plays a crucial role in his theory of wisdom. Through his interrogations, Socrates challenges individuals to provide reasons for their views. By doing so, he reveals that his opponents may hold unjustified beliefs, even if those beliefs are true. This method demonstrates the importance Socrates places on justified beliefs rather than simply true beliefs.
The Socratic Method also highlights Socrates' belief in the limitations of human understanding. He famously claimed, "I know that I am intelligent, because I know that I know nothing." This paradox reflects his understanding that wisdom begins with recognizing one's ignorance and striving to clarify it through careful examination. Socrates believed that knowledge is innate within humans and can be recalled through questioning and inductive reasoning.
Socrates' view of wisdom, as expressed by his student Plato in "The Apology," is sometimes interpreted as an example of a humility theory of wisdom. In this interpretation, Socrates is seen as recognizing his own wisdom while also acknowledging the limitations of human knowledge. This perspective emphasizes the importance of intellectual humility and the pursuit of knowledge through dialogue and self-reflection.
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Wisdom as knowledge
Socrates is considered a paragon of wisdom even though he didn't consider himself wise. In Plato's Apology, Socrates describes his life and trials, influencing our understanding of the truest element of "Socratic wisdom". Socrates is often depicted as asserting his intelligence in Plato's works, yet he also claims to know nothing. This paradoxical statement is interpreted as Socrates knowing his own ignorance and is considered a form of humility. Socrates believed that knowledge is the most valuable thing in life, and that it is better to seek knowledge and be conscious of your ignorance than to claim knowledge that you do not have. This is reflected in his belief that the life worth living is an examined life. Socrates believed that if one does not examine their ideas and beliefs and test them to determine whether they are contradictory, they will live a deceitful life of false belief.
Socrates' view of wisdom, as expressed by Plato in The Apology, is sometimes interpreted as an example of a humility theory of wisdom. When Socrates demonstrates that a person is not wise, he does so by showing that the person lacks some knowledge that they claim to possess. This is achieved through the Socratic method, a form of argumentative dialogue between individuals based on asking and answering questions. Socrates generally applied this method to concepts such as the virtues of piety, wisdom, temperance, courage, and justice. The Socratic method breaks down commonly held beliefs by scrutinizing them through questioning to determine their internal consistency and coherence with other beliefs.
Socrates believed that philosophy was an improvement of the soul as it reveals our ignorance, and therefore it is important to live an "examined life". He believed that one will most likely lead a miserable life if they do not question their beliefs and ideas. Socrates always claimed that he did not know anything, and this is the essence of what he stood for. Wisdom, for Socrates, is a sort of recognition of one's own ignorance. He knew that he was not wise, and therefore he had a type of wisdom.
Socrates thought that we are motivated to do what, at any time, appears to be good according to our minds. However, what seems good to us and what is good for us are not always the same. For Socrates, this means that we can only act well when we have the knowledge of how to act well, that is, when we possess the knowledge of how things are, what is good, what to do to obtain and preserve these things, and how to avoid what is bad. This state of the mind, where the mind is in possession of knowledge, is what Socrates calls wisdom.
Socrates' view of wisdom can be interpreted as providing epistemic accuracy rather than epistemic humility. The poets, politicians, and craftsmen all believe they have knowledge about topics on which they are considerably ignorant. Socrates, on the other hand, believes he has knowledge only when he truly does. Wise people, according to this interpretation, restrict their confidence to propositions for which they have knowledge or excellent justification. This is known as the Epistemic Accuracy Theory, which states that a wise person is accurate about what they know and what they do not know.
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A hybrid theory of wisdom
Socrates is considered a paragon of wisdom even though he didn't consider himself wise. In Plato's Apology, Socrates professes his ignorance, claiming that he only knows that which he knows and makes no assumption of knowing anything more or less. This is known as "Socratic ignorance" or "Socratic wisdom". Socrates believed that wisdom was a recognition of one's own ignorance and that true wisdom was only possible for the gods, not humans.
Socrates' view of wisdom can be interpreted as an epistemic accuracy theory of wisdom. According to this theory, a wise person is accurate about what they know and what they do not know. This is in contrast to the poets, politicians, and craftsmen, who Socrates believed were ignorant yet claimed to have knowledge.
Socrates' view can also be interpreted as a humility theory of wisdom. According to this theory, wise people believe they lack knowledge rather than lacking wisdom. This interpretation is based on Socrates' belief that he himself did not possess wisdom, as well as his focus on demonstrating the lack of knowledge in others.
The Socratic method, also known as the method of Elenchus or Socratic debate, is a form of argumentative dialogue that begins with commonly held beliefs and scrutinizes them through questioning. This method is essential for Socrates as it is a way of testing one's lack of knowledge and making them more conscious of their own ignorance. By applying this method to concepts such as virtue, wisdom, temperance, courage, and justice, Socrates challenged the implicit moral beliefs of his interlocutors, bringing out inadequacies and inconsistencies in their beliefs.
In conclusion, a hybrid theory of wisdom best captures Socrates' view of wisdom as it combines the elements of epistemic accuracy and humility. This theory reflects Socrates' belief in the importance of knowledge and the examined life, as well as his recognition of the limitations of human wisdom in comparison to the gods.
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Wisdom as rationality
Socrates is known for his views on wisdom, as expressed by Plato in *The Apology*. Socrates' view of wisdom is sometimes interpreted as an example of a humility theory of wisdom. According to this view, Socrates believed that he knew nothing and that wisdom is a sort of recognition of one's own ignorance. He thought that people should examine their ideas and beliefs and test them to determine whether or not they are contradictory. By doing so, people can become more conscious of their ignorance and improve their lives. This idea of the examined life is central to Socrates' philosophy.
However, another interpretation of Socrates' theory of wisdom focuses on rationality. This interpretation is known as the Deep Rationality Theory (DRT) or Wisdom as Rationality. According to this theory, what matters for wisdom is not knowledge but highly justified and rational beliefs about a wide variety of subjects, including how to live well, science, philosophy, mathematics, history, geography, art, literature, and psychology.
The Deep Rationality Theory rules out the unwise poets, politicians, and craftsmen that Socrates encountered. These individuals believed they had knowledge about topics on which they were considerably ignorant. In contrast, Socrates, one might argue, believed he had knowledge only when he truly did have knowledge. He restricted his confidence to propositions for which he had knowledge or, at least, excellent justification.
The Deep Rationality Theory does not require knowledge or perfection, only rationality. It also accommodates degrees of wisdom. This theory is considered promising and avoids some of the problems associated with other theories of wisdom, such as the requirement of truth or knowledge, which would exclude many historical figures from the list of the wise due to changes in knowledge over time.
Overall, the interpretation of Socrates' view of wisdom as rationality emphasizes the importance of justified and rational beliefs over knowledge alone. It highlights the value of examining and questioning one's beliefs, as advocated by Socrates, and provides a framework for understanding wisdom that is compatible with his philosophy.
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Frequently asked questions
The Socratic method is a form of argumentative dialogue based on asking and answering questions. Socrates used this method to scrutinize commonly held beliefs by questioning their internal consistency and coherence with other beliefs.
Socratic wisdom is the awareness of one's own intellectual limitations. Socrates believed that true wisdom was only possible for the gods, not humans. He thought that wisdom was a sort of recognition of one's ignorance.
Socrates believed that human knowledge or wisdom is essential to a well-lived human life. He thought that human action, when rightly conducted by reason, would lead to happiness.
