The Role Of Wisdom In The Apology

This philosophical study will define the humility theory of wisdom as it is defined in Plato’s The Apology and in Ecclesiastes. In The Apology, Socrates must defend himself from the accusations of the Athenian Court that he has misled and corrupted the youth of Athens. However, Socrates never admits that has educated the young people of Athens, which reveals his own doubts about the knowledge that is taught in Athenian schools. More so, Sophists (Athenian educators) that arrogantly presume their knowledge is correct and true have, in reality, corrupted the children of Athens. This definition of the humility theory of wisdom defines the absurd charge that Socrates has corrupted anyone, since he believes that true wisdom involves some form of

Ironically, Socrates has been charged with corrupting the youth of Athens by challenging the accepted rules of knowledge in Athenian education. The Athenian Court defines certain instances in which Socrates questions the existence of the Gods, or that he questions the role of academic leaders in the community. This is perceived as being a danger to the stability of Athenian society, but Socrates defends his position by acknowledging the benefits of dialogues that question the truth. More so, Socrates never makes any claim to “teaching” the children of Athens because he admits he “does not know” enough knowledge to be an educator. This definition of the humility theory of wisdom is put forth against Socrates, yet he countermands these charges by accusing the Sophists of misleading the Athenian

This definition of wisdom assumes a humble premise of Socrates’ argument, which is part of the philosophical search for truth. In this manner, Socrates becomes the “wisest man in Athens” because he is willing to admit he knows nothing, so that he can begin to find new truths through a dialogue with the Athenian citizens.

In the Bible, Ecclesiastes provides supporting evidence of the humility theory of wisdom that Socrates brings forth in The Apology. This biblical definition of wisdom never presumes to be absolute, since the wise man must always have some doubt about the perfection of truth. More so, no human being can proclaim to have perfect knowledge because of the premise of Original Sin. In some ways, Socrates would agree with the “teacher” in Ecclesiastes on the power of a wise man that presumes to know nothing as a basis for the humility theory of wisdom:

Wisdom makes one wise person more powerful than ten rulers in a city. Indeed, there is no one on earth who is righteous, no one who does what is right and never sins (Ecclesiastes