PHI 2010 Fall 2010: Comments on Papers

'The only real wisdom is knowing that you know nothing.'...A clear meaning of what Socrates meant to say on his famous quote was that men indeed have a knowledge and criteria of the society and world they live in, however there is no certainty on that knowledge but you can feel confident on it.

Beware of the temptation to improve the work of great writers. If you are pointing out what someone meant to say, in clearer language, the implication is that they didn't express themselves very well, and that you can do better. But Socrates' quotation seems perfectly clear to me. The proposed explanation is less clear. What exactly is meant by 'criteria' in this context? I have the criteria of my society - for what? Then we are told that there isn't any certainty, but you can have confidence. But what is the difference between certainty and confidence? Why can I have the former but not the latter? I can think of ways to explain this, but more explanation needs to be given. In any case, I'm really not sure that this is what Socrates was trying to say. The student is saying that we do indeed have knowledge - but that sounds like the opposite of what Socrates said "...you know nothing." It could be that Socrates was so stupid that, when he was trying to explain that we know lots of things, he said that we know nothing by mistake. Or it could just be that he meant exactly what he said.

External knowledge is more dangerous since one can tell you and teach you about a certain thing but they may be tricking you or they may not be so sure themselves. It is for the best sometimes to discover things for yourself or do things on your own so you know what is and what is not true. This is why some people don't learn when they are warned not to do something. Some people just have to learn the hard way...

I'm being given two pieces of advice that pull me in contrary directions, but the writer doesn't seem to realize that. Sometimes it is indeed good to check out what other people tell you - the song says 'They all laughed at Christopher Columbus, when he said the world was round', but you can't always believe what songs say - everyone knew the world was round (the disagreement other people had with Columbus concerned the size of the world, and therefore the distance to India).Some people don't listen - they have to learn the hard way. You tell them to look both ways before the road, but they don't believe you. So they get killed in car crashes - that is how you learn the hard way.  That example suggests relying on other people's advice is essential to staying alive. Testimony, like any other source, can be dangerous to accept when it is wrong, but dangerous to ignore if it is right - and there are some warnings that it is better not to test. (There are crocodiles in the Panama Canal  - do not attempt to pet them! They eat people! Seriously! If you decide to check for yourself whether this is correct, by petting a crocodile, you really are stupid.)

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