Thanks Kevin! The 'knowing that you know nothing' interpretation of Socrates is fascinating, though I couldn't find that exact quote in the dialogues. The closest might be in the Apology, where Socrates realizes that his wisdom consists in knowing he knows nothing, while others think they know what they don't know. I wrote about that her…
Thanks Kevin! The 'knowing that you know nothing' interpretation of Socrates is fascinating, though I couldn't find that exact quote in the dialogues. The closest might be in the Apology, where Socrates realizes that his wisdom consists in knowing he knows nothing, while others think they know what they don't know. I wrote about that here: https://www.bryankam.com/p/some-dangerous-methods?utm_source=substack&utm_content=feed%3Arecommended%3Acopy_link
You raise a good point about aporia (philosophical puzzlement) in the dialogues. In works like Plato's Parmenides, Socrates does seem to systematically dismantle opposing positions, potentially suggesting that rigid categories always fall short. However, I see two issues with this reading: First, to even engage in this dismantling, we have to accept abstract categories like 'being' and 'the one' — categories that I regard as problematic from the start. Second, in my experience, the resulting aporia feels less like productive openness and more like conceptual frustration.
In my view, wisdom doesn't primarily come from wrestling with conceptual categories, but from direct experience — though we may use language to share that wisdom after an experience. I appreciate you pushing me to engage more deeply with different interpretations!
Thanks Kevin! The 'knowing that you know nothing' interpretation of Socrates is fascinating, though I couldn't find that exact quote in the dialogues. The closest might be in the Apology, where Socrates realizes that his wisdom consists in knowing he knows nothing, while others think they know what they don't know. I wrote about that here: https://www.bryankam.com/p/some-dangerous-methods?utm_source=substack&utm_content=feed%3Arecommended%3Acopy_link
You raise a good point about aporia (philosophical puzzlement) in the dialogues. In works like Plato's Parmenides, Socrates does seem to systematically dismantle opposing positions, potentially suggesting that rigid categories always fall short. However, I see two issues with this reading: First, to even engage in this dismantling, we have to accept abstract categories like 'being' and 'the one' — categories that I regard as problematic from the start. Second, in my experience, the resulting aporia feels less like productive openness and more like conceptual frustration.
In my view, wisdom doesn't primarily come from wrestling with conceptual categories, but from direct experience — though we may use language to share that wisdom after an experience. I appreciate you pushing me to engage more deeply with different interpretations!