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Question: Philosophy students, answer me this: What did Socrates mean near his demise about wisdom!?
One of the last quotes was: "True wisdom is in knowing you know nothing!."

Earlier he had been known to say, "Wisdom is good and ignorance is evil"!.

A) Socrates was a fool and towards his death he proved it!.

B) He meant we don't know anything is true!.

C) We're all ignorant thus we are all evil!.

D) All in existence is non-existent!.

E) I'm getting too old and don't know what I'm saying!.

F) He knew more than this world will ever care to learn!.Www@QuestionHome@Com


Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:
I think the most correct answer if F!. Everybody has their own ideas about Socrates though!. There are always going to be people who claim to know everything!. The one thing that they don't know though, is that they don't know everything!. I'm sure that there is a better way to word it, but that is my understanding!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

You cannot with any plausibility dismiss or construct a geniuses entire career and study upon the speculation of the inspiring of a singular remark, without placing it in context will all his given studies and life’s trials!. It implies an occurrence momentarily destabilised his entire thinking and reasoning!. If one occurrence can destabilise, it so follows one positive impact can restore faith and sense to his understanding!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

I am at a loss between b and f!. My husband is 63 and I am 45 and we never stop learning!. My husband disgrees with F because he has that love of learning attitude!. So do I!. We agree with B we are skeptics and we question things in life!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

I think he meant we can't possibly know as much as we would like to know-we can learn small truths as we go along,but true reality is beyond our comprehension!. The world is too complex for any one person to understand!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

G) you can never stop questioning and learning!.!.!.!.!.!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

The quote should be thought about in the proper context!.
Socrates was professed to be the wisest man in all of athens by the oracle!.
Upon hearing this Socrates sought to understand how that could be as he did not claim to be wise as did the sophists!.
He consulted many people that were generally considered wise and clever and his dialectic method of questioning revealed that many that claim to be wise are merely learned yet fundamental questions like, what is truth can are not answered any better by these so called wise men and the only difference seems to be that Socrates willing admits that there is much that simply can not be known!.
Of the choices given B) is perhaps the best answer though it is wins by default as the others all miss the mark widely and B) misses to the least degree!.
One would have to understand what Socrates means by wisdom to understand why B) is the best answer!.
To Socrates wisdom is willingness to always learn and being humble about the things that one simply can not know for certain instead of professing knowledge!.
This is what got him the charge of being atheist and corrupting the youth!.
His inquiries made many "wise ones" look foolish!.Www@QuestionHome@Com