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Understanding the self

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AUTOBIOGRAPHYPLATOGREEK PHILOSOPHERSocrates, (born c. 470 BCE,
Athens [Greece]—died 399 BCE, Athens), Greekphilosopher whose way of life,
character, and thought exerted a profound influence onancient and modern
philosophy.SYNOPSISSocrates was born circa 470 BC, in Athens, Greece. We know of
his life throughthe writings of his students, including Plato and Xenophon. His "Socratic
method," laidthe groundwork for Western systems of logic and philosophy. When the
political climateof Greece turned, Socrates was sentenced to death by hemlock
poisoning in 399 BC.He accepted this judgment rather than fleeing into
exile.PHILOSOPHICAL VIEW ABOUT SELFSocrates believed that philosophy should
achieve practical results for the greaterwell-being of society. He attempted to establish
an ethical system based on humanreason rather than theological doctrine. He
pointed out that human choice wasmotivated by the desire for happiness. Ultimate
wisdom comes from knowing oneself.The more a person knows, the greater his or her
ability to reason and make choices thatwill bring true happiness. Socrates believed that
this translated into politics with the bestform of government being neither a tyranny nor
a democracy. Instead, government
worked best when ruled by individuals who had the greatest ability, knowledge,
andvirtue and possessed a complete understanding of themselves. Know thyself: a
moral epistemological and injunctiono 1.1 “An unexamined life not worth living“o 1.2
Philosophy does not mean, as in the sophists, the acquisition ofknowledge
but a way of questioning, to challenge, a form of self-concern.Know thyself: a moral
epistemological and injunctionThis assertion, imperative in the form, indicates that man
must stand and live accordinghis nature. Man has to look at himself. To find what? By
what means?These two questions are fundamental.The what, at first. Indeed, this
invitation to introspection must be connected to thePlatonic theory of reminiscence.
Everyone, says Socrates, has the knowledge itself, justremember them. Knowledge is
inherent in man, not outside. Wisdom is learning torecollect.How, then. This
knowledge of oneself can be achieved only through the SocraticMethod, that
is to say, the dialogue between the soul and itself, or between a studentand his
teacher. Socrates is as often in the role of questioner, as an
attendantemotional. Socrates’ questions because he knows nothing, knows he knows
nothing,has nothing to learn, but it can help its followers to discover the truths they have
inthem.Without this work on yourself, life is worthless according to Socrates: “An
unexamined life is not worth living“Philosophy does not mean, as in the sophists, the
acquisition of knowledge but a way ofquestioning, to challenge, a form of self-concern.
SOCRATES ON SELF CONFIDENCEThe Socratic path to self-confidence is to have
confidence in our own beliefs andnot be swayed by the opinions of others. He believed
humans were like sheep, that wepassively follow each other. We assume others,
particularly those that lead us, knowwhat they are talking about – we trust those in
authority.Whilst we may question the bit about trusting those in authority, the bottom line
is werarely take action and challenge authority. We imagine others must know what they
aretalking about and have the skills to deliver – especially if we have lack of self-
confidencein ourselves. There is a pressure to conform, to act within acceptable social
norms.Socrates had the advantage of living in a time when he could readily go up to
those inpower and question them – as he questioned everyone. Unfortunately
he had thedisadvantage of living at a time and place when those who fell afoul of their
Governmentfor what they said and did were executed (although sadly there
are still too manycountries where that is still the case).Socrates wanted everyone to
scrutinize what we believe, he believed everyone has aduty to reflect on our life:“An
unexamined life is not worth living” If you work out for yourself why you believe (ornot)
something – whether it’s in God, your ability to cook a meal or whether a personlikes you
– then it gives you confidence to stand up for that belief. If your belief is simplybased on
following everyone else (or the opinions and beliefs of parents,
peers,teachers or others) then it’s not so trustworthy.REFERENCES
https://www.biography.com/people/socrates-
9488126https://www.britannica.com/biography/Socrates
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out of39

Understanding the self

Course:
Bachelor of Science in Computer Science (BSCS)
SOCRATES ON SELF CONFIDENCEThe Socratic path to self-confidence is to have
confidence in our own beliefs andnot be swayed by the opinions of others. He believed
humans were like sheep, that wepassively follow each other. We assume others,
particularly those that lead us, knowwhat they are talking about – we trust those in
authority.Whilst we may question the bit about trusting those in authority, the bottom line
is werarely take action and challenge authority. We imagine others must know what they
aretalking about and have the skills to deliver – especially if we have lack of self-
confidencein ourselves. There is a pressure to conform, to act within acceptable social
norms.Socrates had the advantage of living in a time when he could readily go up to
those inpower and question them – as he questioned everyone. Unfortunately
he had thedisadvantage of living at a time and place when those who fell afoul of their
Governmentfor what they said and did were executed (although sadly there
are still too manycountries where that is still the case).Socrates wanted everyone to
scrutinize what we believe, he believed everyone has aduty to reflect on our life:“An
unexamined life is not worth living” If you work out for yourself why you believe (ornot)
something – whether it’s in God, your ability to cook a meal or whether a personlikes you
– then it gives you confidence to stand up for that belief. If your belief is simplybased on
following everyone else (or the opinions and beliefs of parents,
peers,teachers or others) then it’s not so trustworthy.REFERENCES
https://www.biography.com/people/socrates-
9488126https://www.britannica.com/biography/Socrates
https://www.the-philosophy.com/socrates-know-yourselfhttps://confident1.com/socrates-
on-self-confidenceAUTOBIOGRAPHYPLATOGREEK PHILOSOPHERPlato, (born
428/427 BCE, Athens, Greece—died 348/347, Athens),ancient Greek philosopher,
student of Socrates (c. 470–399 BCE), teacherof Aristotle (384–322 BCE), and
founder of the Academy, best known as the author ofphilosophical works of unparalleled
influence.SYNOPSISBorn circa 428 B.C.E., ancient Greek philosopher Plato
was a student ofSocrates and a teacher of Aristotle. His writings explored justice,
beauty and equality,and also contained discussions in aesthetics, political philosophy,
theology, cosmology,epistemology and the philosophy of language. Plato founded the
Academy in Athens,one of the first institutions of higher learning in the Western world.
He died in Athenscirca 348 B.C.E.
PHILOSOPHICAL VIEW ABOUT SELFBuilding on the demonstration by Socrates
that those regarded as expertsin ethical matters did not have the understanding
necessary for a good human life, Platointroduced the idea that their mistakes were due
to their not engaging properly witha class of entities he called forms, chief examples
of which were Justice, Beauty, andEquality. Whereas other thinkers—and Plato
himself in certain passages—used theterm without any precise technical force,
Plato in the course of his career came todevote specialized attention to these
entities. As he conceived them, they wereaccessible not to the senses but
to the mind alone, and they were the mostimportant constituents of reality,
underlying the existence of the sensible world andgiving it what intelligibility it
has. In metaphysics Plato envisioned a systematic, rationaltreatment of the forms
and their interrelations, starting with the most fundamentalamong them (the
Good, or the One); in ethics and moral psychology he developed theview that the good
life requires not just a certain kind of knowledge (as Socrates hadsuggested) but also
habituation to healthy emotional responses and therefore harmonybetween the three
parts of the soul (according to Plato, reason, spirit, and appetite). Hisworks also
contain discussions in aesthetics, politicalphilosophy, theology, cosmology,
epistemology, and the philosophy of language. Hisschool fostered research not
just in philosophy narrowly conceived but in a wide rangeof endeavors that today would
be called mathematical or scientific.SELF-KNOWLEDGE IN PLATORachana
KamtekarDOI:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780190226411.003.0003This chapter explains the
differences in content between two kinds of self-knowledge inPlato and describes the
two kinds of inquiry directed at each kind of self-knowledge.Several early dialogues
are concerned with knowledge of a person’s state (is heknowledgeable or
ignorant? good or bad?), which is gained by that person inquiring intosome particular
subject matter. Several middle and late dialogues are concerned withknowledge of one’s
capacities (what is one’s nature such that one is able to becomegood or bad, and
knowledgeable or ignorant, viz., what are one’s capacities to inquire,desire, anger, and
so on? are all of these equally essential to what one is?), determiningthe soul’s basic
constituents and exploring their behavior in different conditions. Bothkinds of inquiry treat
the self that is to be known as capable of being quite different inreality from the way it
appears to itself.REFERENCES