“If you follow Socrates advice you will have an unsatisfactory life. He does not arrive at any particular conclusion. You must accept that you are ignorant and can never know. One constantly strives for truth but never finds it. This makes for a frustrating, unsatisfactory life. You would have a more satisfactory life by simply accepting the beliefs and values of the society that you grow up in.”
As long as philosophy exists different thinkers try to define the boundaries of human knowledge. Socrates’ strivings to understand the limits of wisdom present especial interest for the learner. Someone might consider Socrates’ position as far as the problem of human knowledge is concerned a rather controversial one, some believe that it lacks human sense; others suppose that it leads to an unsatisfactory life.
As for me, I am inclined to think that Socrates’ views on human knowledge and truth are logic and reasonable. The Greek philosopher thought that people always strive for truth but never find it. This happens because of their ignorance. According to Socrates, people should accept that they are ignorant and never know. The only thing where they can be considered wise is their awareness of their own ignorance. The latter serves as a driving force for human wrongdoings. If a person did wrong it means, going by Socrates, that he or she knew no better.
As for the philosopher’s own knowledge, he never called himself a wise person, as he understood that there are countless steps that a lover of wisdom (that is, philosopher) should take in pursuing wisdom.
Socrates’ theory appeals to me very much. For several times in the course of life I became convinced in the fact that the more a person knows the more he or she needs to know. Once a person acquires some new knowledge numerous opportunities are offered to him/her to apply it. But as the scope of knowledge broadens, this person realizes more and more aspects of it that she or he is not aware of. Therefore, there exists a constant challenge for the learner who, if ambitious enough, strives to face it with flying colors. If this does not happen a person should not give up and should keep on trying to fill in the gaps in one’s knowledge. I do realize that one cannot know everything in the world but there are no limits to human striving for perfection.
I do not agree with those who say that understanding of human inability to cover all fields of human knowledge makes people unhappy and turns their lives into frustrating and unsatisfactory. Personally I when face some difficulty in this or that field, try to do my best to acquire the necessary knowledge. Thus, my life becomes full of imaginary steps to go up. The more valuable information I get, “swallow” and “digest”, the higher I ascend the staircase of my personal development. And realization that I will never achieve perfection does not poison my life, but, on the contrary, fills it with a sense to keep on living.
Nearly the same goes with the problem of truth. None can answer the question of what truth is and where it can be found. Socrates always stressed that humanity constantly strives for truth but never finds it. Truth in this sense is close to the knowledge I have talked above. But the difference is that the dimensions of knowledge are more definite than the dimensions of truth. The latter is a more subjective concept than the concept of knowledge. And, as a result, to achieve perfection in it is much more difficult.
Different people have different views on truth: what is true for ones, will be considered as absolutely unacceptable for others. Actually, in this contradiction the main problems of humanity are rooted. If we imagine that all people have the same notion of truth humanity will forget about misunderstandings that cause numerous conflicts. But this sounds too idealistic and will never be applicable to our life.
When Socrates spoke of impossibility to grasp the truth he did not imply that humanity should accept the situation. In Phaedrus Socrates reveals his views on truth: he states that first and foremost a man should know the truth about any subject he deals with, as he has to be able to define it at least generally. Then, after defining it, the man will be able to define it into the smallest pieces until he reaches the limit of divisibility. Therefore, according to Socrates, people should start with acquiring the general idea of the thing and then specify it to get to the point.
Socrates’ position that the only absolute truth is that there is no truth might find a lot of exemplifications in modern life. Especially it concerns issues that always remain controversial. For example, if we consider the problem of abortion, we will see that there is no absolute truth here. Supporters of anti-abortion views claim that potential mothers should give birth no matter what their physical, social and economic conditions are. They are convinced that delivery is not a problem of personal concern, a potential mother is not empowered to choose whether to have a baby or to kill it, rather, this is the problem of the whole society where the mother lives in.
Opponents of this position view the problem in a more comprehensive way. They take into account the conditions that the first group disregards. So, where is the absolute truth in this case? I am inclined to believe that the answer is nowhere. The absolute truth does not exist. And if it really existed we all would live in a sort of idealistic society. This would be a society where all members are blind and deaf, as they do not need any organs of perception because everything is clearly determined, taken for granted and does not require an investigation.
Socrates’ opponents claim that for a person it would be better to simply accept the beliefs and values of the society that he or she grows up in, without checking them and seeking for alternate truth. Being a person who always seeks for truth though realizes that there is no absolute type of it, I cannot agree with this position. I cannot imagine myself blindly following the rules of the society without checking them for validity. I suppose that in my strivings to understand this world better my personal search for truth consists in. Step by step, it goes along with my becoming wiser.
I am thankful to Socrates who raised up the burning issues of knowledge and truth in his philosophical doctrine. He is known as a man who asked a lot of questions and I believe that they were destined to lead others to truth. My personal strivings for knowledge and truth encouraged by Socrates’ theory make my life full of various questions to answer, and, in the long run, make it painted with bright colors. And this is really essential, isn’t it?