Notes for Class Two

Socrates (d. 399 BC)

• Socratic method: ask questions to discover the essence of what makes a thing be what it is. Without knowing what a thing is, one cannot act intelligently.
• "Virtue is knowledge" means the ability to act based on what one knows.
• "The unexamined life is not worth living" means that the excellence or value (aretê) of human existence demands understanding.
• Socratic ignorance: Socrates is ignorant of the essence of things and, more importantly, does not know why he does what he does or how he should act. His lack of a justification in acting is like being ignorant. But he does know the method for determining the essence of a thing (e.g., justice, virtue), and in that sense he is wise.