I know Nothing
As the great Socrates once said, "I guess I am considered the wisest man in the world because I realize that I know NOTHING." This topic has been on my mind a lot as well (there seems to be a lot going on up there). The formation of thought.
As a recently decided Philosophy major I realize that I have so much to learn. Honestly, I have to learn and relearn so much I feel that it is almost overwhelming. Because I think it is SO important to think for ourselves, I realize that this is something I haven't done until recently. Honestly, I've been brought up raised by my parents and taught in a school system where I was taught more memorization rather than actually how to critically think. And we get so many of our basic ideas and thoughts from our parents that we just accept on our own. How many people can say that there parents political views haven't affected your own? Most of us follow directly after our parents and our molded from birth to believe certain things, and why, because our parents believe so and it must be true. And your parents may have very well thought out, even correct ideas. But the thing is is that if we accept things just because they are told to us, we lose our ability to think on our own.
And this is so important in our lives where we are constantly bombarded by different messages, and ideas, and our own problems, that we NEED to be able to think on our own. We need to look at our problems, look at our future, be able to look forwards and backwards, use our imaginations, use our conscience and will to do what is right, to seek, to love, to live. And that brings me back to the original quote. Socrates realizes that he knows nothing. His ignorance is the start of his knowledge. And as humans we are so quick to forget our ignorance and our own limitations and we think we KNOW, and the truth is we have no idea and we cause ourselves our own problems by thinking we know.. the truth is we know so little about the world.
But as Plato said, "wonder is the beginning of philosophy" and it is wonder that I now try to look at the world. Not with old eyes, but new eyes. And I take belief that I am a new creation in Christ, "the old has gone, and the new has come".
(read my post on sexuality below)
As a recently decided Philosophy major I realize that I have so much to learn. Honestly, I have to learn and relearn so much I feel that it is almost overwhelming. Because I think it is SO important to think for ourselves, I realize that this is something I haven't done until recently. Honestly, I've been brought up raised by my parents and taught in a school system where I was taught more memorization rather than actually how to critically think. And we get so many of our basic ideas and thoughts from our parents that we just accept on our own. How many people can say that there parents political views haven't affected your own? Most of us follow directly after our parents and our molded from birth to believe certain things, and why, because our parents believe so and it must be true. And your parents may have very well thought out, even correct ideas. But the thing is is that if we accept things just because they are told to us, we lose our ability to think on our own.
And this is so important in our lives where we are constantly bombarded by different messages, and ideas, and our own problems, that we NEED to be able to think on our own. We need to look at our problems, look at our future, be able to look forwards and backwards, use our imaginations, use our conscience and will to do what is right, to seek, to love, to live. And that brings me back to the original quote. Socrates realizes that he knows nothing. His ignorance is the start of his knowledge. And as humans we are so quick to forget our ignorance and our own limitations and we think we KNOW, and the truth is we have no idea and we cause ourselves our own problems by thinking we know.. the truth is we know so little about the world.
But as Plato said, "wonder is the beginning of philosophy" and it is wonder that I now try to look at the world. Not with old eyes, but new eyes. And I take belief that I am a new creation in Christ, "the old has gone, and the new has come".
(read my post on sexuality below)
