I think what Socrates meant when he said he knew nothing is that, he doesn’t know these ‘amazing facts’ and theories happening in the world. But this does not mean that he is not intelligent or wise.
I think knowing facts or reading about things like new discoveries does not interest him. I think what he is interested about are the things that involve critical thinking. Those that can’t be solved through standard steps and those that can’t be learned though reading or spoon-feeding. This might be the reason why he is described as the wisest. He uses his mind to find for answers that can’t be very well explained by the Sophists. He knows to operate the power of his mind to analyze the statements of the Sophists, if they are true or not.
So, maybe it is true that he knew nothing about facts but he WILL know them even those that are not told to him directly.
I think Socrates is wise for knowing nothing but his 'ignorance' because it is true that no one could ever be able to fully understand all the phenomena in this world. Each one of us would continue to discover new things as we grow but we would never learn all of these even if we live for a long time.
ReplyDeleteI also agree that to Socrates, understanding the facts is more important than merely memorizing them. Otherwise, these facts would be of no use aside from being things that can be flaunted just as the Sophists do.
I agree with the first point of Bea, that Socrates' statement that "Wisest is s/he who knows s/he doesn't know." refers to the thirst for knowledge brought about by acknowledging that you do not know everything. Once you start thinking that you are all-knowing, then you are the most stupid person in the world, since, first of all, this is not possible (and you ought to know that if you are all-knowing :P) and secondly, this kind of thinking will stop you in the continuous process of learning.
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