From: jimruttshow8596
The impact of Socrates on Western civilization is profound, ushering in what is known as the Socratic Revolution. This period, following the Bronze Age collapse and a subsequent dark age, saw the emergence of new forms of thought and psycho-technologies that radically changed human self-awareness and identity [00:54:02].
The Socratic Revolution: A Kairos Moment
Socrates is considered a pivotal figure in history, positioned at a “kairos” or turning point [01:23:36]. A kairos signifies a constellation of factors that creates an instability in a system, making the potential for significant intervention by individuals or groups much more available [01:23:20]. Socrates stepped into such a pivot point, allowing for a fundamental change in the course of Western civilization [01:24:06].
Pre-Socratic Influences
Socrates did not emerge from a vacuum [01:27:21]. He was influenced by the pre-Socratic philosophers who sought to understand the nature of things through observation and reason, replacing narrative explanations with ontological analysis [01:28:15]. Notable figures include:
- Thales: Proposed a new way of thinking that germinated into scientific thought, seeking an underlying substance and force to explain the world [01:28:07].
- Pythagoras: Coined the term “philosophy” and “cosmos,” bringing shamanic traditions into the Greek world while fusing them with a mathematical understanding of music and the universe [01:29:11].
- Heraclitus and Parmenides: Also centrally important for Plato [01:30:12].
Altered States of Consciousness
Experiments with altered states of consciousness were prevalent and influenced Greek philosophical thought [01:30:20]:
- The priestess at Delphi was likely in an altered state from sniffing methane gas [01:30:35].
- The Eleusinian Mysteries involved deep sets of altered states, possibly induced by psychedelics or practices like sleep deprivation and drumming [01:30:49].
- Pythagoras engaged in a “thunderstone ceremony” in a cave, which can induce altered states by affecting the brain in extended time in darkness [01:31:41].
- Socrates himself famously stood in place for 24 or 48 hours, lost in a trance-like state, a form of internal mindfulness [01:32:10].
”Know Thyself”
A central tenet of Socratic philosophy is the imperative “Know Thyself” [01:33:20]. This does not refer to knowing one’s autobiography or a pre-packaged destiny [01:34:33]. Instead, it means:
- Understanding the machinery of the self: Becoming aware of how one operates, akin to having an owner’s manual for oneself [01:35:15].
- “Selfing”: Directing and orienting the ongoing process of “selfing” towards becoming a wiser and more virtuous person [01:35:24].
- Interconnectedness: For Socrates, knowing oneself is deeply interwoven with knowing other people and the world. One cannot properly know oneself without also helping others to know themselves, and together, coming to know the world better [01:35:42].
Wisdom vs. Facts
Socrates contrasted his approach with that of the natural philosophers [01:36:00]. While natural philosophers provided facts, they did not offer the wisdom necessary for self-transcendence [01:36:10]. Socrates sought “transformative truths” – truths that are:
- Disclosed through personal transformation [01:36:44].
- Have a transformative impact, propelling one into further change [01:37:01].
This distinction highlights how wisdom differs from mere knowledge [01:36:56].
Critique of the Sophists
Socrates famously criticized the Sophists, who taught rhetoric, a psycho-technology that appeared to promise powerful transformation [01:37:31]. However, their teachings were often disconnected from any attempt to get at truth or a deep understanding of things [01:38:05].
Socrates saw the Sophists as promoting “bullshitting” (in Harry Frankfurt’s sense), where concern for truth is diminished, and salience or “catchiness” overrides factual accuracy [01:39:19]. This leads to pervasive individual and group self-deception, which Socrates believed contributed to demagoguery and other societal problems in Athenian democracy [01:40:04].
Bullshitting vs. Lying to Oneself
According to Socratic philosophy, one cannot strictly “lie to oneself” because lying involves stating a proposition known to be false to manipulate another’s belief [01:41:22]. Belief isn’t an act that can be forced [01:41:59].
However, one can “bullshit oneself” [01:42:31]. This occurs by manipulating attention and salience [01:42:37]. By directing attention to certain things, they become more salient, and this can lead to a vicious cycle where one becomes more likely to believe what they want to believe, regardless of its truth [01:43:02]. This is particularly evident in how social media platforms leverage the availability bias, constantly pushing unrealistic images that can lead to self-deceptive and self-destructive behaviors like anxiety and body dysmorphia [01:44:07].
Socratic Approach to Truth and Salience
Socrates aimed to couple salience (what stands out as important) with truth for genuine transformation [01:49:01]. His two famous statements encapsulate this:
- “I know that I know nothing” (or “I know that I did not know”): This indicates a nuanced understanding of his own limitations, while still possessing a strong confidence in certain fundamental principles [01:48:26].
- “The unexamined life is not worth living”: This is a profound statement about the necessity of actively engaging in self-examination and the pursuit of wisdom [01:48:38].
For Socrates, a life not worth living is one “bereft of… depth of connection to oneself, other people, and the world” [01:49:52]. He believed that the cultivation of virtue, particularly the meta-virtue of wisdom, allows individuals to realize sufficient meaning in life to compensate for unavoidable suffering, distress, pain, and loss [01:50:04]. The Socratic pursuit is to reliably affirm, “My life is worth it. My life is worth living” [01:51:29].