The phrase "I know that I know nothing", "The only thing I know is that I know nothing" or "I know one thing; that I know nothing", I know that all I know is that I do not know anything", called the Socratic paradox, is a well-known saying that is derived from Plato's account of the Greek philosopher Socrates. The phrase is not one that Socrates himself is ever recorded as saying.
This saying is also connected or conflated with the answer to a question Socrates (according to Xenophon) or Chaerephon (according to Plato) is said to have posed to the Pythia, the oracle of Delphi, in which the Oracle stated something to the effect of "Socrates is the wisest."
Etymology
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The phrase, originally from Latin ("ipse se nihil scire id unum sciat"), is a possible paraphrase from a Greek text (see below). It is also quoted as "scio me nihil scire" or "scio me nescire". It was later back-translated to Katharevousa Greek as "[á¼"ν οἶδα ὅτι] οá½Î´á½²Î½ οἶδα", [èn oîda óti] oudèn oîda).
In Plato
The saying, though widely attributed to Plato's Socrates in both ancient and modern times, actually occurs nowhere in Plato's works in this form. Two prominent Plato scholars have recently argued that the claim should not be attributed to Plato's Socrates.
Evidence that Socrates does not actually claim to know nothing can be found at Apology 29b-c, where he claims twice to know something. See also Apology 29d, where Socrates indicates that he is so confident in his claim to knowledge at 29b-c that he is willing to die for it.
In Apology, Plato relates that Socrates accounts for his seeming wiser than any other person because he does not imagine that he knows what he does not know.
[…] á¼"οικα γοῦν τοÏτου γε σμικÏá¿· τινι αá½Ï„á¿· τοÏτῳ σοφώτεÏος εἶναι, ὅτι ἃ μὴ οἶδα οá½Î´á½² οἴομαι εἰδÎναι.
[…] I seem, then, in just this little thing to be wiser than this man at any rate, that what I do not know I do not think I know either.
One ought to remember the context in which this passage occurs, namely Socrates having gone to a "wise" man, and having discussed with him, withdraws and thinks the above to himself. Socrates, since he denied any kind of knowledge, then tried to find someone wiser than himself among politicians, poets, and craftsmen. It appeared that politicians claimed wisdom without knowledge; poets could touch people with their words, but did not know their meaning; and craftsmen could claim knowledge only in specific and narrow fields. The interpretation of the Oracle's answer might be Socrates' awareness of his own ignorance.
Socrates also deals with this phrase in Plato's dialogue Meno when he says:
καὶ νῦν πεÏὶ á¼€Ïετῆς ὃ á¼"στιν á¼Î³á½¼ μὲν οá½Îº οἶδα, σὺ μÎντοι ἴσως Ï€ÏότεÏον μὲν á¾"δησθα Ï€Ïὶν á¼Î¼Î¿á¿¦ ἅψασθαι, νῦν μÎντοι ὅμοιος εἶ οá½Îº εἰδότι.
[So now I do not know what virtue is; perhaps you knew before you contacted me, but now you are certainly like one who does not know.] (trans. G. M. A. Grube)
Here, Socrates aims at the change of Meno's opinion, who was a firm believer in his own opinion and whose claim to knowledge Socrates had disproved.
It is essentially the question that begins "post-Socratic" Western philosophy. Socrates begins all wisdom with wondering, thus one must begin with admitting one's ignorance. After all, Socrates' dialectic method of teaching was based on that he as a teacher knew nothing, so he would derive knowledge from his students by dialogue.
There is also a passage by Diogenes Laertius in his work Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers where he lists, among the things that Socrates used to say: "εἰδÎναι μὲν μηδὲν πλὴν αá½Ï„ὸ τοῦτο εἰδÎναι", or "that he knew nothing except that he knew that very fact (i.e. that he knew nothing)".
Again, closer to the quote, there is a passage in Plato's Apology, where Socrates says that after discussing with someone he started thinking that:
τοÏτου μὲν τοῦ ἀνθÏώπου á¼Î³á½¼ σοφώτεÏός εἰμι· κινδυνεÏει μὲν Î³á½°Ï á¼¡Î¼á¿¶Î½ οá½Î´ÎτεÏος οá½Î´á½²Î½ καλὸν κἀγαθὸν εἰδÎναι, ἀλλ᾽ οὗτος μὲν οἴεταί τι εἰδÎναι οá½Îº εἰδώς, á¼Î³á½¼ δÎ, á½¥ÏƒÏ€ÎµÏ Î¿á½–Î½ οá½Îº οἶδα, οá½Î´á½² οἴομαι· á¼"οικα γοῦν τοÏτου γε σμικÏá¿· τινι αá½Ï„á¿· τοÏτῳ σοφώτεÏος εἶναι, ὅτι ἃ μὴ οἶδα οá½Î´á½² οἴομαι εἰδÎναι.
I am wiser than this man, for neither of us appears to know anything great and good; but he fancies he knows something, although he knows nothing; whereas I, as I do not know anything, so I do not fancy I do. In this trifling particular, then, I appear to be wiser than he, because I do not fancy I know what I do not know.
Alternative usage
"Socratic paradox" may also refer to statements of Socrates that seem contrary to common sense, such as that "no one desires evil" (see Socratic paradoxes).
See also
References
External links
- Quotations related to Socrates at Wikiquote
