“I only know that I know nothing” What does the phrase really mean

The phrase “I only know that I know nothing”which is already part of the world proverb, is attributed to the Greek philosopher Socrates, but what does it mean that such a wise man said that he only knew that he knew nothing?

Despite having heard and pronounced this phrase on countless occasions, most of us have never considered what its true meaning is.

It is not a simple play on words, but it is part of the history of Philosophy and its meaning is much deeper. Find out what it is.

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The origin of the phrase “I only know that I know nothing”

Acknowledgment of one’s own ignorance

There is some controversy with the origin of the phrase, but the most accepted version says that when the Oracle of Delphi named Socrates the wisest man in Greece, he was surprised to see himself marked as wise. It was then that he said: “This man, on the one hand, believes that he knows something, while he does not know. On the other hand, I, who also don’t know either, I think”.

From these words derives the expression that has remained marked in our collective imagination: “I only know that I know nothing”.

Socrates (470 – 399 BC) was a Greek philosopher who dedicated his life to the search for the truth and stated that all Philosophical theory should start from the recognition of one’s own ignorance.

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Plato (427 -347 BC) was his disciple and collected in his Dialogues what is known as Socratic methoda method of logical demonstration for the investigation or search of underlying concepts in the information.

Under a question-answer structure, Socrates gets the interlocutor to verbalize information that he already had in himself, without him knowing it.

The true meaning of the phrase

Question instead of affirming

When Socrates interrogates a person never gives anything for and, instead of continuing the conversation with a statement, what he does is ask a question again.

In this way, the person questioned ends up answering what you actually knew but was not aware of itso this process of searching for individual truth results in a transformative discovery for her.

Socrates intends to reflect on the without suspending or exceeding them. He understands that in order to know another point of view he cannot and should not presuppose anything. Thus, transforms defining biases into “questionable statements”.

In other words, it raises questions that open up the possibility of information being revealed that was initially unknown. Hence the expression “I only know that I know nothing”, since he does not know a priori the information that arises from the interaction with the other.

Through his questions he guides his interlocutors along the path of their own logic. In this way, he relativizes an apparently valid statement and opens the door to a new one.

What is Socratic maieutics?

Discover what remained unconscious

Plato learns from his teacher and explains what he calls Socratic maieutics. The literal meaning of the word mayeutics is “assisting births.” This concept applied to the Socratic dialogue suggests that it intends to give light to knowledge through questions that will lead the interlocutor to realize their own information.

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It would be something like helping the person in his process of “giving birth to knowledge” through the .

In the dialogue that Socrates maintains with Theaetetus, an eminent mathematician, on the nature of knowledge or knowledge, Socrates says:

My maieutic art has the same general characteristics as the art (that of the midwives). But it differs from him in that he gives birth to men and not to women, and in that he watches over souls, not bodies, in their labor. The best thing about the art that I practice is, however, that it allows us to know if what engenders the reflection of the young person is a deceptive appearance or a true fruit”.

The art of maieutics considers the disciple competent to find within himself the truth, supposes that his soul must have known it at some point before becoming ignorant. And, in this dialogue, both are “ignorant”, which is reflected in the words “I only know that I know nothing”.

The and the search for unconscious information

What similarities are there between the Socratic method and Bioneuroemotion?

during a the companion guides the consultant through questions so that he is able to delve into his psyche and extract their own unconscious information.

The goal is that you can Resolve your doubts and conflicts on your own; It is, therefore, a guided inquiry procedure comparable to that proposed by the Socratic method.

Is a that at some point can make the client uncomfortable, because it leads him into his own paths that he had not advanced up to that moment. To avoid going there, either out of fear of the unknown or to avoid coming into contact with hurts from the past, the mind will give you excuses and justifications with the aim of not contacting his pain.

At the same time, the companion will invite you to be specific and descriptivepreventing the consultant from recreating in explanations of his own history, and will not let him talk much, precisely because he wants to listen.

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“I only know that I know nothing” is a key idea in Bioneuroemoción

The should start each session by acknowledging your own ignorance, since really the only thing he knows is that he knows nothing. From here, he observes without positioning himself, he does not judge, he does not presuppose and he does not assume anything at all. He knows that each gesture, each “chance”, each justification and each,… absolutely everything is information.

Dialogue with the client is the only way to channel an experience of . The only way to enter the unconscious is to look like a child, innocently. The objective of the session is to raise awareness.

Therefore, it is not a question of mastering techniques, nor of directing the consultant towards a way of thinking. Is about guide him so that, by himself, he achieves another level of questioning their “truths” and opening the door to other ways of perceiving that enhance and facilitate their well-being.

“The more we study, the more we discover our ignorance”

Percy Bysshe Shelley

Conclution

Do you want to know the tools to increase your emotional health and your quality of life? Ourwill help you achieve it. In it you will learn to investigate and discover the origin of your emotional conflicts to understand their influence in both the physical and emotional spheres.

In addition, it will help you understand how our perception is built, and it will provide you with practical resources for emotional self-management and conflict resolution. Learn to handle your difficulties in a different way, in which you you are responsible for your own well-being, and the key to improving your life.

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