Thinking about Socrates

 I’m interested in philosophy but am not moved by philosophical theories.

Arguably the most influential theory in the development of Western civilization was Plato’s theory of knowledge, the Theory of Forms. He put the theory in the mouth of Socrates. It’s hard to tell how much of this masterpiece is Socrates and how much is Plato.

But the theory is a mess, and I’d write against it if I thought there were more than three card-carrying Platonists left in the world.

We don’t remember Socrates for his (or Plato’s) theory of knowledge.

We remember him for his example, for his life. He lived with integrity. He was committed to the pursuit of wisdom. He relentlessly inquired into what that might mean.

Wisdom is a broad virtue. Socrates took delight in philosophical conversation. But he assumed that a person devoted to wisdom would not only try to be a good person but would be a good person, in some sense.

Wisdom involves figuring out how to make things work in practice. A person devoted to wisdom won’t just argue about wisdom but will live a wise — and therefore good — life. When the democracy of Athens was threatened, Socrates fought in the ranks. That one item on his resume might say more about him than anything you could say about his educational achievements.

I don’t believe that the world has ever been made much better by one person thinking extraordinarily well. I think the world changes for the better when a lot of people do better thinking about everyday problems.

Racism and sexism are still prevalent today. But I know more people today who are suspicious of the loaded concepts of race and gender roles than I did when I was 20.

I think the world is better as a result.

And, fortunately, there are always a few people in the world who inspire us to do better thinking for ourselves.