Ep. 4 - Awakening from the Meaning Crisis - Socrates and the Quest for Wisdom
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Socrates and the association of truth & relevance
Socrates is considered the creator of classical Greek philosophy. He is famous for engaging in debates with the 2 types of wise people of the day:
- material philosophers who tried to explain what the world is made of
- sophists, interested only in rhetoric and not in truth.
He believed wisdom has to have relevance for the individual. While the materialists focused on truth and less on relevance, the sophists were only concerned with relevance while ignoring truth.
Socrates believed the person needs a philosophy that is both relevant & truthful.
Knowing what you don't know
Socrates was named the "wisest man alive" by the Delphi oracle. Which not only confused Athenians, because the guy was acting like a homeless person, but Socrates himself. He knew that his wisdom is limited, but he also believed the gods could not lie. So his solution was to say "I know that I know nothing"
Socrates meant that only knowing the limitations of knowledge, you can transcend. You need to understand the limits of your cognition so you can evolve.
The unexamined life is not worth living.
