Truth, Wisdom and Socrates

Currently reading: Star Wars: The Last Command by Timothy Zahn
Most recently watched movie: Little Women
Current favorite quote: "Leia took a deep breath. Finally. After ten hours of labor -- after nine months of pregnancy -- the end was finally in sight.
"No. Not the end. The beginning.
"They laid the twins in her arms a few minutes later...and as she looked first at them and then up at Han, she felt a sense of utter peace settle over her. Out among the stars there might be a war going on; but for here, for now, all was right with the universe." -The Last Command

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I have a very close friend -- one of my best friends -- who is not only a beautiful Christian and an amazing person, but also a very intelligent and knowledge-seeking student. Lately, we've been reading and discussing some of the Great Books together, such as: The Declaration of Independence, Shakespeare, Euclid, Aeschylus, and various others. Though it sounds dry and boring (especially in summer -- "what is she thinking?!"), it has been actually quite fun and, more importantly, very thought-provoking...and refreshing. So today I was inspired to pull off one of the "Harvard Classics" books of our shelf and read some of Plato. I started with the first thing in the book, The Apology of Socrates. Plato was a student of Socrates, so I take it to mean that Plato wrote this Apology as a first-hand account when Socrates was on trial and giving his defense, because Socrates never actually wrote any piece of work.

I didn't get very far (it is a rather extensive work), but I was struck by something Socrates points out again and again as something very important: Truth. He was a very truthful man himself, and desired to give truth to others by presenting it in a reasonable and logical way.

It got me thinking: what is Truth? Actually, not so much "what is Truth" but "How do we know Truth and how does it relate to ourselves?"

The only reason Socrates was on trial was because he was pointing out the truth to others. Socrates was a great thinker, but also a humble one; for he repeats often in his Apology that he is neither very wise nor very stupid:

"For I know that I have no wisdom, small or great." (pg 9)

Because the oracle of Delphi had said that "there was no man wiser [than Socrates]" (pg 9), Socrates decided to decipher the meaning of this declaration by speaking to various people and ascertaining from their conversations just how wise they were. His conclusion was:

"...I could not help thinking that he was not really wise, although he was thought wise by many, and wiser still by himself; and I went and tried to explain to him that he thought himself wise, but was not really wise; and the consequence was that he hated me..." (pg 9)

So Socrates was accused, put on trial, and found guilty because he pointed out the truth.

This brings us back to the question: "How do we know Truth?"

I think the answer is Wisdom.

What is wisdom? Wisdom by the world's standards is one thing; wisdom by God's standards is another. I think the difference between the two is shown by the difference between Socrates and the men he said were "not really wise".
Wisdom by the world's standards is a knowledge of things that should not be known. Consider Adam and Eve. What happened when they received the world's wisdom -- the Devil's wisdom -- after they disobeyed God?

"Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized that they were naked" (Gen. 3:7)

Their holy innocence was destroyed by this so-called "wisdom". Wordly wisdom thinks it is wise, and therefore it is not.

Socrates put it well when he said that "God only is wise" (pg 11). Socrates recognized that he had no great wisdom; and it was in realizing this that his wisdom lay, and in truth he could recognize the lack of wisdom in others.

It is when we also recognize that we have no great wisdom, when we realize that God only possesses the fullness of wisdom, when we recognize this great Truth, then God pours wisdom into our hearts, because that Truth in itself is Wisdom.

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; prudent are all who live by it." (Ps. 111: 10)

Prudence is by definition "the ability to govern and discipline oneself by the use of reason" (Merriam-Webster dictionary). Sounds a bit like wisdom, doesn't it?

Truth, then, begets Wisdom; for Socrates said of a man named Evenus, who supposedly possessed great wisdom:

"Had I the same, I should have been very proud and conceited; but the truth is that I have no knowledge of the kind, O Athenians." (pg 8)

So we know Wisdom through Truth, and in turn, Truth through Wisdom....Our next question is: "How does Truth relate to ourselves?"
The psalmist states:

"Indeed you love truth in the heart; then in the secret of my heart teach me wisdom." (Ps. 51:8)

Once we realize the Truth, that God alone is all-Wise, all-Powerful, and all-Omniscient, then He in turn pours some of His Wisdom into our hearts.

Perhaps this also is wisdom:

"...whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." (Phil. 4:8)

The Apology of Socrates is "gracous", possessing "excellence", and is "worthy of praise"...and I have thought "about these things"...so perhaps I have gained some of God's wisdom.


Pax,
Limwen

Good Ol' Writer's Block

Currently reading: Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
Most recently watched movie: Robin Hood (the Disney cartoon)
Current favorite quote: "The point of Christianity is not to be childish, but childlike." -Anonymous


I hate lack of inspiration. The picture you see here is the cover for my book that a friend of mine made. (Loriann)
I'm at chapter twenty-six, but I can't seem to get beyond that. So I'm rather frustrated with the story right now in that respect; and I'm also frustrated with it in another respect because I'm very unsatisfied with many of the beginning chapters. I feel the urge to go back and rewrite it all, but I'm forcing myself to go on. After all, this is only the first draft. After this is complete (which I'm hoping it will be by at the latest November), I can then go back and chop it to pieces. So to speak. ;)

So I've decided today to go to one of my favorite places in the whole wide world: the library! I'm going to get a bunch of books out and just read. Perhaps reading good books will help me to be inspired....

Pax,
Limwen