Five Dialogues & Symposium: Socrates’ Search for Knowledge
In Five Dialogues and Symposium by Plato, Socrates the Ancient Greek philosopher challenges his fellow men about the notion that they do not posses knowledge. The role of a philosopher is to reflect on life and ask existential questions because curiosity is innate in all humans. In Apology, Socrates expresses to the jury and judges at his trial, “they have been proved to lay claim to knowledge when they know nothing” (Apology, 23d). Though humans claim to have knowledge, Socrates believes human wisdom is worthless because it is unattainable. In this essay I will be discussing Socrates’ reasons why humans are ignorant and attaining knowledge is impossible to achieve in life.
Socrates …show more content…
According to Socrates love does not exist without an object. He questions Agathon, “Is Love such as to be a love of something or of nothing?” (Symposium, 199d). Since the world is full of appearances, Socrates is motivated to search for the Form. Philosophers love wisdom because it is something they lack. Diotima tells Socrates “wisdom is extremely beautiful. It follows that Love must be a lover of wisdom” (Symposium, 204b). According to Diotima, the end goal of human life is “eudaimonia”(Khimji), happiness of the soul (Khimji). Diotima tells Socrates, “love is wanting to possess the good forever” (Symposium, 206 a) which is the Form. Humans desire what they do not have; once humans possess something they are less incline to want it. Diotima believes the highest form of love is the good. Diotima tells Socrates “A lover must desire immortality along with the good…Love must desire immortality” (Symposium, 207a). The good equates to the Form; once a person has the Form they have found happiness. Diotima explains to Socrates, the Form is “itself by itself with itself” (Symposium, 211b); she is making distinctions between becoming and being. The becoming is an appearance and the being is the Form. If someone cannot relate to the Form, that person cannot be the Form. The Form is unchanging; if humans were to understand the Form it would be an appearance. The only way to the Form is through …show more content…
Socrates examination of humans has proved they truly do not posses knowledge and are ignorant of their own speech. Socrates’ motivation for the search of knowledge has led him come to the conclusion humans cannot fully attain knowledge when alive, only when in death when the soul separates from the body, true knowledge is achieved. Finally, Socrates is a true philosopher because he lacks knowledge, and what he lacks he loves, that is why philosophers love wisdom. Typically, humans view knowledge as something they need to advance in life, however, Socrates would discredit their views because it is not ideal for humans to gather knowledge during their
In Five Dialogues and Symposium by Plato, Socrates the Ancient Greek philosopher challenges his fellow men about the notion that they do not posses knowledge. The role of a philosopher is to reflect on life and ask existential questions because curiosity is innate in all humans. In Apology, Socrates expresses to the jury and judges at his trial, “they have been proved to lay claim to knowledge when they know nothing” (Apology, 23d). Though humans claim to have knowledge, Socrates believes human wisdom is worthless because it is unattainable. In this essay I will be discussing Socrates’ reasons why humans are ignorant and attaining knowledge is impossible to achieve in life.
Socrates …show more content…
According to Socrates love does not exist without an object. He questions Agathon, “Is Love such as to be a love of something or of nothing?” (Symposium, 199d). Since the world is full of appearances, Socrates is motivated to search for the Form. Philosophers love wisdom because it is something they lack. Diotima tells Socrates “wisdom is extremely beautiful. It follows that Love must be a lover of wisdom” (Symposium, 204b). According to Diotima, the end goal of human life is “eudaimonia”(Khimji), happiness of the soul (Khimji). Diotima tells Socrates, “love is wanting to possess the good forever” (Symposium, 206 a) which is the Form. Humans desire what they do not have; once humans possess something they are less incline to want it. Diotima believes the highest form of love is the good. Diotima tells Socrates “A lover must desire immortality along with the good…Love must desire immortality” (Symposium, 207a). The good equates to the Form; once a person has the Form they have found happiness. Diotima explains to Socrates, the Form is “itself by itself with itself” (Symposium, 211b); she is making distinctions between becoming and being. The becoming is an appearance and the being is the Form. If someone cannot relate to the Form, that person cannot be the Form. The Form is unchanging; if humans were to understand the Form it would be an appearance. The only way to the Form is through …show more content…
Socrates examination of humans has proved they truly do not posses knowledge and are ignorant of their own speech. Socrates’ motivation for the search of knowledge has led him come to the conclusion humans cannot fully attain knowledge when alive, only when in death when the soul separates from the body, true knowledge is achieved. Finally, Socrates is a true philosopher because he lacks knowledge, and what he lacks he loves, that is why philosophers love wisdom. Typically, humans view knowledge as something they need to advance in life, however, Socrates would discredit their views because it is not ideal for humans to gather knowledge during their