What does Socrates' wisdom inspire us?

Recently, I read The History of Greek Philosophy by Zhao Lin, a professor at Wuhan University. He told me the history of Greek philosophy from the birth, peak and destruction of philosophy, which was vivid and interesting. Following his train of thought will take you to such saints as Socrates, Plato and Aristotle in ancient Greece thousands of years ago. You can just stand by and just be there. I haven't finished reading it.

Of course, I can't talk about how much I love philosophy, and I dare not expect to make achievements in this field in my lifetime. However, learning to look at the world from a philosophical perspective means that you can change your thinking mode and change the way you look at the world. Because the world is the world in your eyes, your vision has changed, and the meaning of the world has certainly changed.

I want to know the ins and outs of some philosophy, and how much thinking thickness can be improved even if I lose myself. That's all, there is no other extravagant hope. This is the value of learning it.

What I want to write today is to share with you some insights of Socrates and correct and criticize the shortcomings.

First of all, I want to use Socrates' story from birth to death as an extension to see if it can give you some inspiration.

Metaphysics began with Socrates, so what kind of person is Socrates?

Like Confucius in China, he did nothing. But he spoke a lot of valuable things, which were later taught to the world by Plato's disciples. Just as The Seventy-Two Disciples of Confucius recorded Confucius' thoughts.

Socrates' whole thought and life are completely integrated, which is the same as China Wang Yangming's "Unity of Conscience, Knowing and Doing" in the Dojo, that is, behavior and thought are synchronized, and a simple understanding is that I will do whatever I say and do whatever I say.

Socrates was an Athenian. Socrates was born at the pinnacle of Athens' politics, philosophy and culture.

Although he is a civilian, he is not tall and big, but he belongs to the same type of "short and tight" as Gao. However, he is highly respected by rich and powerful people because of his rebellious, trendy and anti-traditional thoughts, which has great appeal to young scholars at present.

People are afraid of being famous and pigs are afraid of being strong. When Socrates was 70 years old, the Athenians accused him of two crimes. What are these two crimes?

First, he likes to explore the strange knowledge of heaven and earth, spread heresy to confuse teenagers and commit ideological crimes.

Second, he didn't believe in old gods, and he tried to introduce new gods and instigate young people to disrespect their parents, which was unforgivable at that time.

Then why was he accused?

In fact, Socrates was very annoying at that time. For example, there was a young man in ancient Greece who thought he was smarter than the great philosopher Socrates. One day, Socrates asked him a question: "which came first, the egg or the chicken?" Without thinking, the young man replied, "Chickens are hatched from eggs, and naturally there are eggs first!" " ""The egg was born by a chicken. Where did you get the eggs without the chicken? The young man thought for a moment and said, "That was the chicken first!" " "You just said that chickens are hatched from eggs. Without eggs, where did you get the chicken? "

The young man complained, "Why do you ask such a strange question?" Now I also ask you a question. ""You're welcome. " "Do you think the egg or the chicken came first?" Socrates answered honestly, "I don't know. The young man smiled: "So, you and I are actually almost the same!" " Socrates said, "No, you know what you don't know, and I don't know what you don't know. I just don't know if I don't know. You don't know if you don't know! "

Every time he discusses with others, as long as you answer the answer, he will point out that your answer is contradictory, and then make you feel that his accusation is reasonable and let you constantly revise it until he is satisfied.

This set of dialectics is to constantly modify each other's contradictions, force and promote each other's optimization and improvement, and finally move towards correctness. Socrates said that he learned this method from his mother, because my mother was a midwife at that time, but my mother took the body and I took the spirit.

This method is very annoying, because it always denies others, so it offended many people at that time and will be calculated by others behind it. In court, Socrates also defended his actions.

Socrates said that when I was very young, something happened. There is a place in Delphi in northern Greece, and there is a temple of Apollo in Delphi. Apollo was a multi-functional god in Greece, but the prophecy of this temple was very accurate. When many dignitaries are confused about important or important matters, they will go to Delphi Temple for instructions and oracles.

There are a group of priestesses in this temple. They often shout things like opium and marijuana leaves, are in a crazy state, shake their heads in the smoke, say unintelligible words, and send oracles with oracles.

It is said that there are two famous sayings in Delphi Temple. One is the famous saying "Know yourself" by Thales, the father of philosophy, and the other is the famous saying "Nothing is too much" by Solon, a famous lawmaker and politician in Athens.

Socrates' story was born here. Socrates said that I was still very young at that time. I have a friend named Keller Feng. One day, he went to the temple to ask for the Oracle. He asked God a question: "Who is wiser than Socrates in this world?"? So the priestess answered on behalf of God that there is no wiser person in this world than Socrates.

So Keller Feng came back and told Socrates this sentence. Socrates was confused at that time. He said that there are countless people smarter than me in this world. Why does God say that only I am the cleverest? Did God make a mistake?

Since then, in order to prove that God is wrong, he has done nothing and devoted himself to finding Greeks who are famous for their wisdom. Interview people from all walks of life, including politicians, artists and wise men.

He said that every time he visited someone, he would add a proof to this sentence of God. Then I found that these people are as unwise as I am, even though everyone thinks they are. He discovered a truth. Although these people have no wisdom like me, they don't know that they have no wisdom, but they think they have wisdom. Finally, he understood that when God said "know yourself", he meant that the so-called wisdom was beyond people's reach. People like Socrates who know that they have no wisdom are the cleverest. That is, "knowing is knowing, not knowing is not knowing, and knowing is also".

The previous philosophers all looked outward, while Socrates looked inward. People find it most difficult to understand themselves, not the world. Our eyes always look outward, not inward.

Therefore, in this sense, Socrates makes people look back, pulls philosophy from heaven to earth, and turns the object of philosophy from the origin of the universe to the essence of human beings. This is his great contribution.

Although we have no wisdom, we love it. Although we have no wisdom, we pursue it. We can't be wise, but I can be a philosopher.

So Socrates became the first philosopher. Compared with wisdom, philosopher is a very modest name. In court today, I was charged with these two charges. They accused me of being fond of exploring strange knowledge in heaven and earth, and that's right. I just like to explore this knowledge and make a living by exploring. I don't do business, engage in politics, get rich, or be powerful. I just like it and am interested in exploring knowledge. I just like to pursue wisdom, so I have offended many people.

At the same time, Socrates admitted his second crime. Because Athens believed in the gods dominated by Olympus and Zeus at that time, this was the mainstream value at that time. If it was subverted, it would be a serious crime.

In fact, Socrates looked down upon these gods of Olympia from the bottom of his heart. He thinks that God has thoughts and wisdom and will not show their muscles in the arena. Let the mind move, not the body.

This ran counter to the mainstream social atmosphere in Greece at that time. The Greeks did not accept his defense and thought he was in contempt of court. Finally, he was put in prison and interrogated after the fall.

Finally, in prison, Socrates' students and followers came to save him and told Socrates that as long as you escaped from Athens, the laws of Athens would be invalid for you. Unexpectedly, Socrates flatly refused, and when he was finally executed by the court, he made some remarks: People who are suffering from death, if you think wrong, I will die and you will live, and only God knows who has a good way.

So Socrates played a pioneer and a model who died for his thoughts in the west. He tells you that another life is better than real life, which runs counter to the mainstream Greek thought at that time.

Finally, Rilke, an Austrian writer in the 20th century, used a bridge in the novel Gravedigger to say that a person came to a village, where plague was rampant and people kept digging graves and burying bodies, which eventually piled up like mountains, causing everyone's anger. Everyone thought he had brought the plague, and finally he carried a shovel and disappeared quietly into the night.

Rilke finally added a comment: "He is a defeated person, a person who came too early." . He was defeated because he came too early. He does not belong to this era, but he is a pioneer, calling for another era.

At this point, you may say, I can't be Socrates. What's the value of saying so much about his philosophy? Of course, I'm not explaining his profound thoughts in the history of philosophy to you. Besides, I can't explain it clearly.

We don't want to be him, but through his pursuit of wisdom, we can see some simple truths. For example, we can still learn from his skills of digging deep into a problem. Then use this as a beacon, at least let us sail in the vast sea without losing our way.

Today, more and more people realize that the most important goal of school study is not to master some specific knowledge, which can be easily searched through the mobile Internet with the help of tools such as Baidu and Google, but to cultivate students' critical thinking. In the rapidly changing 2 1 century, critical thinking is the most important core professional competence and professional competitiveness.

Why does Socrates keep looking back, keep pursuing a question, and finally restore the underlying answer to the question? Because I feel the contradiction between things, or it is easy to feel unreasonable, or I can see more than two reasons. I lost my mind and didn't know which was better. When there are two or more truths in front of us, there is no truth in my heart, and I am very uneasy, but I can't get rid of it, so it occupies my heart. Perhaps learning mostly begins with this feeling.

The so-called learning is to clarify the problem and have your own ideas. Everyone seems to have ideas, but they don't. Because most people's thinking is chaotic, everyone follows the trend and agrees with different opinions, which shows that he has no idea.

In fact, the knowledge in the world is actually interlinked at a deep level. Different thinkers tend to achieve the same goal in different ways.

The following are eight levels of self-growth based on Socrates' lifelong thirst for knowledge and constant pursuit of wisdom.

The first realm: forming an opinion

If you think about a problem with your heart, you will have an opinion on it and form your own judgment. Call it opinion or prejudice. Our opinion may be shallow, but even if it is shallow, it is your own opinion after all.

What is the truth of philosophy? Is prejudice! If you see something, you take it as a universal truth. Because you are obsessed with what you see, you extremely reject other people's views and don't admit that there are two or more truths. It doesn't matter if it's opinionated, and it doesn't matter if it's biased. What is learning? Being assertive is learning! Learning is not learning, not how many books you read.

Don't be intimidated by philosophers of the past. Our views may be shallow, but shallowness is also good. You know, it's still mine. Many philosophers' philosophy is very shallow, because it is shallow, so it is good. Mr Hu Shizhi's philosophy is very shallow and good. Because it is his own, even if it is not profound, it is also a result, kind and tasteful. So it will be very touching to say it! He can form his own school, but others can't, just because others don't even have shallow philosophy.

The second level: looking for things that cannot be explained.

A man without learning is not without reason in his stomach and theory in his mind, but without problems in his heart. I have studied philosophy at all times and all over the world, and there are a lot of truths, but there is no problem and it has become a unique thing. If you have an opinion, you have yourself; Only when you have yourself can you find others and find that people around you have different views from me.

At this time, you feel all kinds of conflicts, contradictions, irrationalities and reasons. So the second step is to use my brain.

Faced with all kinds of problems, I can't tell the truth, I don't want to follow others casually, and I dare not be confident easily. At this time, you are on the right path of learning and asking questions.

The third level: mastery through a comprehensive study

From then on, you will never let go of the views of your predecessors and those of today. If you are slightly different from yourself, you will know to pay attention. You feel kind when you see the same idea as yourself; I feel alienated when I see something different from my own thoughts. If there are differences, they must be resolved. If there is a gap, we must seek understanding.

As a result, the ideas used by the ancients and the present gradually merged into themselves. Your initial views have become the seeds of future college problems. From this germination point, you can absorb nutrients, and then you can grow branches and leaves and take root underground. When the branches and leaves above are sparse and the roots below are deep, learning will become.

This is the only correct way to read, otherwise reading is useless. People who are literate speak their own words, without piling up nouns or quoting; On the contrary, the more books are cited, the fewer people can read them.

The fourth realm: lack of knowledge

The ancients said that "learning is not enough" is correct. I'm afraid you're not careful. When you put your heart into it, you will know to be open-minded. I didn't have a superficial view at the beginning, which was not enough to solve the problem. The progress of learning is not only the improvement of opinions, but also the refinement of mind and thought and the humility of attitude. A guilty conscience and a secret heart are necessary conditions for reading.

The worst problem is that you know everything at home. Let me ask you something. Does Plato understand? I see. Do Buddhists understand? I see. Do you know anything about Confucianism? I see. Laozi and Yangming also understand; Kant, Russell, Bergson ... all understand They all sound like acquaintances. Never say that you know everything your predecessors have learned. Because you feel that you don't understand, you can put aside all superficial views and ask for it with complete humility.

A common fault is that your mind is simple, but you say others are simple; I am shallow, but I see others are shallow. Take it for granted to criticize and attack others. It can be said that it was planted intentionally or unintentionally.

On the contrary, when I meet different opinions and ideas, I always doubt that the other person is better than me, and I doubt that he must have something I haven't seen. Why else didn't he make the same judgment as me? I doubt that he must have more ideas than I do, otherwise why do I look at this and he looks at that?

I hope everyone will always remember two words. First, "I'm worried that his work is beyond my ability"; Second, "I am worried that I will surpass him." When I was twenty years old, I first entered Buddhism, and then Confucianism. Because I am worried, I pay attention to people's criticism of Buddhism and Confucianism and try to understand the truth in the West.

The fifth level of the realm: simple and complex.

The closer we get to the investigation, the more in-depth we investigate, and the fragmentary knowledge and opinions will be gone; My heart is full of consistent system, the whole organization. In this way, it can be considered a success. At this time, we can simplify the complex, learn more and feel less.

All systematic ideas are very simple in my mind, as if there were only one or two sentences. All great philosophers have few words, only one or two. The complex and heavy universe is extremely easy in his hands-the so-called ease of lifting weights.

Scholars say it is wrong to have so much knowledge on your shoulders; You're right. I thought there was something at first, but now I know there is nothing. The more I see the truth clearly, the more I feel speechless. It's best not to say anything. I know, but I can't say.

On the other hand, the more people with little knowledge say, the more nouns people with unclear thoughts have. Really scare an uneducated person to see it! In fact, the truth is clear, nouns can be used, but not necessarily, you can also pick them up at will.

The sixth realm: using it freely

Learning depends on whether you can solve the problem. For example, you have learned 18 kinds of martial arts, and your performances are varied. Wait until the war against the enemy, told him to wield a knife into battle, only to find that a set of martial arts have been learned in vain.

If you can't solve the problem, then study is not home. If you learn it, you can solve the problem. A truly learned person can fully use his knowledge. A person who pretends to study doesn't need to study at all.

The seventh realm: all the other mountains are short under the sky. ..

We have tasted the ups and downs of learning, and we can see the gains and losses by looking at other people's views and opinions. This shallow, that home, what is this score, what is that degree, all know very clearly; Because I used to be like this, and all the depth and fineness have passed.

The eighth area: transparency

When you think about it carefully, there is nothing impenetrable in your heart. Everything you say is very incisive and penetrating.

If you do kung fu according to my method, do it according to my method, don't be anxious and persistent, then you will be free from vulgarity, and you will make progress step by step.

The above eight floors, the first four floors are really the path for me to study hard; The last four floors are only a few visible ears at best-they are just visible and can't be true. When I was young, I wanted to make contributions, but I was ignorant. Twenty or thirty years old is a little thoughtful, but also very hasty; In recent years, the problem has shifted to practical and specific national and social problems. The purpose of the mind is different. Finally, I want to make a solemn statement to you: I have never been a learned person or an accomplished person. I thought about it for a long time. Who am I? I may be the one with the problem!