The Socrates' Pursuit Of Wisdom And Intelligence

In philosophy, providing an exact definition of not only philosophy itself but many other concepts as well, can be rather challenging. With human knowledge constantly expanding, and humans having different outlooks on things, philosophy and its branches can all be seen differently. To continue, philosophy is said to be “the love or pursuit of wisdom.” Many questions arise when one thinks about wisdom such as, “What does it mean to be “wise?” and specifically “How can you pursue this wisdom through the ideas of Socrates’? Within the realm of this paper, I am going to focus on how being wise means taking your knowledge and utilizing it to think critically and how by employing this analytical mindset through the Socratic method, one will be led and constituted to a peace-filled, meaningful life.

To begin, containing wisdom has various parts to it. The ability for one to take the knowledge they’ve obtained and apply it critically demonstrates, “the insightful understanding and eagerness to approach the world with full curiosity” (Chaffee 1.2). Being able to stimulate yourself and others through exploration is the start to the truest pursuit of wisdom. Socrates’ created a process to better comprehend the human experience, he called it The Socratic Method. Through this method, Socrates’ believed that one must have conversations with others by “investigative give-and-take, probing complex issues in a question-and-answer format” (Chaffee 2.2). The goal of these discussions was not just to talk but to achieve a specific understanding of what all humans experience and all perspectives on these areas we surround our entire lives around. Moreover, by conversing with others on their views in regard to these concepts such as: knowledge, morality/ethics and goodness, it allowed people to think critically and analyze the context to determine direct and universal truth. It is seen that through human communication, knowledge is taught. Socrates’ claimed that it was “the people in the city who teach me” (Chaffee 2.1). For example, if you and a group of classmates talk about what you believe it means to have knowledge, there will obviously be different viewpoints. However, when you begin hearing other opinions that differ from yours, it makes you question and possibly expand your openness of grasping those contrasting beliefs. Humans constantly feed off of each other, and we all in some way, shape or form base the birth of our ideas off of the assistance of others. I believe, The Socratic Method allows human beings to explore and seek deep understanding of who we are both as individuals and collectively as one.

To continue, Socrates’ believed that humility would arise, once one’s ignorance could be uncovered and make them conscious of what they truly know. Socrates’ main concern was for everyone to recognize all essential truths, and he did this through “the process of uncovering unjustified claims to knowledge and exposing logical inconsistences” (Chaffee 2.1). Socrates’ wisdom was able to strengthen once he accepted the limitations on his knowledge because he knew he did not know everything. He noticed others had these falsehoods that they knew everything there was to know and it was actually clouding their ability to pursue the truest wisdom. Socrates saw this as an opportunity to not only navigate his own arrogance, but others as well. His use of humility was not to make others feel bad about themselves, but to allow them to uncover their own foolishness and grow from it. On the contrary, this Socratic humility connects with the importance of discussing with others. In order to find the truths within ourselves, we must aid this journey by “engaging in shared explorations with others through dialectical conversations” (Chaffee 2.3). We all possess our own thoughts and insights of certain aspects of life and that is what makes us our own individual person with our own mindsets. However, in order to really grasp the genuine meaning of our existence, we must reflect off of each other’s minds, critically analyze our questions and stay determined to seek answers so we can eventually discover our reality.

Additionally, Socrates’ believed that by harmonizing your psyche, you would find both wisdom and happiness. He saw it as, if you want to develop a virtuous soul, you had to “become human in the fullest sense, achieve your distinctive potential and genuine happiness, then live “an examined life” (Chaffee 2.3). Engaging all of your soul’s potentials allows one to not only develop their intellectual abilities but their core identity and who they are as a human being. I see it as, once you find your true self and live reflectively instead of just flowing with life’s currents, you begin journeying through your meaning to the world and gain internal and external peace. We may not know exactly why we are here or how our existence came about, but in order to uncover these truths, we must make ourselves explore questions and examine all possibilities. Moreover, Socrates’ lived by “the unexamined life is not worth living” (Chaffee 2.3). You know you have truly come to peace with your life when death comes along, and you are unafraid. For example, during Socrates’ trial and death, Socrates’s did not fight his accusers’ rulings on his corruption of the youth or his consequence being execution, because he was okay with it. He knew that he had fulfilled his destiny to live life and he did this through examination, self-exploration and righteousness. In turn, his conscious and soul would rest easy and nothing wrong could be done to him in the afterlife.

In summation, in the eyes of Socrates, all humans should strive to grow both philosophically and spiritually. There is no definite ‘purpose’ of life but, as long as you question and investigate every single aspect of your human experience, then you have lived a life worth living. In order to achieve these goals, Socrates’ used the Socratic Method. He believed through relentless questioning, and critical evaluations, one could find their meaning. To him, this method made people aware of their ignorance so they could become humbler. Overall, once your soul has extinguished all its abilities, and you have found all the genuine answers to your questions, then your life will be led with meaning and bliss. I believe that without the knowledge that Socrates’ impowered individuals with, these teachings would not have expanding throughout generations and so many questions that we have answered, would remain unknown. We must continue to contemplate the essence of our universe and the only way to achieve this is through the Socrates’ way of the pursuit of wisdom.