Philosophy - Admission of Ignorance - 1556 Words

â€Å"The Admission of Ignorance as the Starting Point of Philosophy† Philosophy 101 July 1, 2010 Plato’s story of the â€Å"Apology† professes to be a record of the actual speech that Socrates delivered in his own defense during his trial and conviction before a jury of 501 men in Athens. Socrates was charged with corrupting the youth of Athens and introducing strange gods to the city. Socrates addresses the men of Athens as follows: â€Å"Do not create a disturbance, gentleman, even if you think I am boasting, for the story I shall tell does not originate with me, but I will refer you to a trustworthy source. I shall call upon the god of Delphi as witness to the existence and nature of my wisdom, if it be such. You know Chaerephon; he was†¦show more content†¦In questioning the politicians, he found that though they thought they were very wise, when he pressed them on what they were supposed to know, they were unable to give an adequate account of it. They did not in fact know much of anything at all. When Socrates questioned the poets, though they wrote great works of genius, seemed incapable of explaining them, and Socrates concluded that their genius came not from wisdom but from some sort of instinct or inspiration, not knowledge, which was in no way connected to their intellect. Furthermore, these poets seemed to think they could speak intellig ently about all sorts of matters, but in actuality they were quite ignorant. He found that they â€Å"thought themselves very wise men in other respects, which they were not.† (Plato27) In the craftsmen, Socrates found men who truly did have great wisdom in their craft or practiced skill/trade, but invariably, they seemed to think that their expertise in one field allowed them to speak authoritatively in many other fields, about which they knew nothing. â€Å"This error of theirs overshadowed the wisdom they had.† (Plato 27) At this point, Socrates began to understand the meaning of the oracle’s riddle. All of these men claimed to know something that they did not know. Socrates did not claim to know anything. Socrates decided that he would rather be as he is; knowing that he knows nothing, than to be inflated by a false sense of his own great wisdom. Thus, he concludes,Show MoreRelatedThe Case Of Inequality And John Rawls1369 Words   |  6 PagesAmerican philosopher by the name of John Rawls. According to Rawls, Sandel says, the way to think about justice â€Å"is to ask what principles we would agree to in an initial situation of inequality† (pg. 140). He calls this state of inequality a â€Å"veil of ignorance† which prevents people from knowing anything about their wealth, income, social status, racial identification, religious convictions, gender, ethnicity etc. In this state, Rawls says, the principles people would agree to would be just. Under theseRead MoreThe Mind Body Problem, By Thomas Nagel1352 Words   |  6 Pagesin his 1982 thesis Epiphenomenal Qualia. Whilst Jackson’s argument occupies a seminal position in philosophy of mind, whether he adds anything new to knowledge of the nature of conscious experience, is debateable. Thomas Nagel’s What is it like to be a bat, is equally renowned and certainly raises compelling questions about the role of subjectivity in consciousness. However, its ap peals to ignorance, and fundamental inability to answer the questions it generates, could be said to weaken its contributionRead More Affirmative Action: Keeping minorities down for 30 years. Essay1509 Words   |  7 Pagessubject of affirmative action in college admissions has been hotly debated since its inception. Although affirmative action was originally supported by the vast majority, that same majority is now starting to wonder if there is a better way. Commonly asked questions include: â€Å"Is affirmative action still working?† and â€Å"Is there an alternative?† The answers to each of these questions will provide insurmountable evidence that affirmative action in college admissions no longer fulfills its intended purposeRead MoreSocrates : A Martyr Or Confessor Essay1346 Words   |  6 PagesSocrates: A Martyr or Confessor Socrates was a man in Athens, who set out in search for truth and knowledge. 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The improvements in infrastructure of transportation have sourced the Scarlett Hospital top executives to reflect on the effect of a construction of new highway might have on the facility. Easy admission to the larger Salem city and its institutions of healthcare fetches the risk of prospective consumer’s loss to Scarlett Hospital. CEO and the president of Scarlett Hospital, Timothy Rogers is endowed with the decision making of discovering finestRead MoreEssay on The Great Gatsby1605 Words   |  7 Pageslogical philosophies about the society. quot;Have you read The Rise of the Coloured Empires by this man Goddard?†¦Well its a fine book and everybody ought to read it. The idea is if we dont look out the white race will be-will be utterly submerged. It’s all scientific stuff; its been proved.quot; (Fitzgerald 17) However, Tom is extremely injudicious and lacks intelligence. His concern for preserving the social status quo and the grammatical errors in his speech reveal his ignorance. 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