Plato’s Apology
Introduction
Socrates, in his belief in philosophy, illustrated that philosophy ought to be used as a tool to achieve practical results and social well-being. He attempted to create an ethically streamlined system based on human reasoning rather than the doctrines of theological nature. Summoned before the judges, Socrates stands unmoved in giving out his defense against his accusers and the judges. He indeed depicts a great depth of wisdom, and by that, he accepted to die for it if that is what it meant.
‘I am wisest because I know that I know nothing.’ This saying is accurate and valid, as proved by Plato’s apology on account of the great Greek philosopher, Socrates. The expression that highlights Socratic ignorance gives the stance to Socrates’s way of thinking. Socrates, in his interpretation, claims that he has no knowledge and doesn’t think that he knows something while the others have no knowledge but believe that they know something; therefore, he is the wisest of them all. Through this, comes an advocation of a situation in which to understand that there is something that cannot be understood. He got a reputation of a philosopher in the vast Greek land in which he had an authentic brand of a lover of wisdom. He was the only person who could solely admit that he was ignorant rather than pretend to know something that he did not. In a certain way, the philosophy tries to prove a concept of learned ignorance. By this, it means that awareness that one doesn’t know, and seemingly will never know the meaning of life. The best application of the saying came when an oracle revealed to one of his friends that he was the wisest in Athens, and no other man could match his wisdom. To an amusement, he never celebrated nor boasted but responded by trying to prove the oracle wrong or to test it in away. In his mind, he knew that the oracle could not lie, and to make matters worse, he was aware that he had no specialized knowledge at all. In the endeavor, find out if there existed a person wiser than he was, he sought to question those who were thought to be wise in the Athenian lands. He interrogated the skilled craftsmen, the poets, and the politicians. When Socrates asked the politicians, he found out that even though the politicians thought they were wise, they were not and, in fact, had no much knowledge of anything at all. When he got to question the poets, he found out that their works were indeed genius compositions. The problem came when the poets could not explain the tasks that they considered of great wisdom. With this, he concluded that it was some instinct inspirations that produced the genius works and not anything connected to intellect(Stone).
Interestingly, the poets assumed to speak intelligently on matters that, in the real sense, they were ignorant. In questioning the craftsmen, he found out they possessed great wisdom in their field of work. Given their thoughts of being experts, they thought they could authoritatively talk commands on other different areas of which honestly speaking they were utterly ignorant. With the illustrations, Socrates, therefore, made it clear that it would rather be better if he remained as he was, and not pretending to know when he doesn’t.
In conclusion, Socrates vividly proves that the wisest person is the one who admits his ignorance and not thinks he knows when he doesn’t.