Socrates and Greek Wisdom

THE THOMIST A SPECULATIVE QUARTERLY REVIEW OF THEOLOGY AND PHILOSOPHY EDIToRs: THE DoMINICAN FATHERS oF THE PRoVINCE oF ST. JosEPH Publishers: Sheed and Ward, Inc., New York City VoL. VII JANUARY, 1944 No.1 SOCRATES AND GREEK WISDOM* DESPITE the lamentable dearth of authentic historical data at our disposal for studying the origins of the philosophy of Plato and Aristotle, we are certain of one incontrovertible fact, namely that, at the point of origin, their philosophies are closely linked to the work of Socrates, and that Socrates, furthermore, marks a decisive turning point in the course of the thought of the Greek world and. of all Europe as well. But, on turning to Socrates, we find his work shrouded, not so much in obscurity as in the almost complete anonymity of his disciples. Our only direct evidence is that of Plato, Aristotle , and Xenophon; and, at best, each of them was primarily concerned with his own particular objectives rather than with Socrates. As is largely the case with the pre-Socratics, the thought of Socrates is known to us only through what is reflected in Plato and Aristotle. We must consequently abandon *EDITORs' NoTE: Although use of articles previously published elsewhere is contrary to the policy of THE TBoMIST, the Editors make an exception in the present case in view of the small American circulation this noteworthy study received in its original Spanish form as printed in Escorial, 1940. The Editors are indebted to PRoF. R. S. WILLrs, JR., of Princeton, for the translation. 1 XAVIER ZUBIRI all attempts to paint positively and directly a complete picture of Socrates' system of thought, and instead we must be satisfied with a less ambitious undertaking, but under the circumstances the only feasible one, that of seeking to ascertain those aspects of Socrates' thought which gave rise to the reflection of Plato and Aristotle. An interpretation of Socrates hinges ultimately upon an interpretation of the origins of the philosophy of the Academy and the Lyceum. The two questions are substan.:. tially identical. The earliest testimonies all agree that Socrates was concerned only with ethics and that he introduced dialogue as a method for ascertaining something ·universal about things. Countless interpretations have been offered of this testimony. In the opinion of some, Socrates was an Athenian intellectual, a martyr to science. In the opinion of others, he devoted himself solely to ethical problems. But, while in both of these interpretations Socrates is regarded as a philosopher~ in still othe~ interpretations he appears simply as a man animated by a desire for personal perfection, and altogether devoid of philosophical embellishments. On the other hand, no matter how we interpret the rOle of Socrates, Plato is a continuator of Socrates, and Aristotle of Plato. To be sure, modern philology has been compelled to introduce important modifications in this general picture when dealing with details; but nevertheless the main fact remains true. This does not necessarily mean that one must conceive of the line "Socrates-Plato-Aristotle" as continuous. We should slightly modify the geometrical image of a trajectory, and, instead, conceive of radii, whose focus is located precisely in Socrates. Aristotle, rather than continuing Plato, took philosophical problems from the same source whence Plato took them and restated them. If there was iri any sense a continuation , it was above all the continuation of an attitude and a concern rather than of a system of problems and concepts. It goes without saying that the continuity of attitude carried with it a partial identity of problems and a community of methods of SOCRATES AND GREEK WISDOM 3 approaching .these problems. But in Aristotle what matters most is that he worked out the same problems as Plato from the same point of departure. Plato likewise worked on the basis of what he had learned from his master Socrates, and set out from the same point. Socrates, Plato and Aristotle are, as I have said, three radii with a common focus emerging from a finite point in history. Our problem is to establish the position of this point. What Socrates ·introduced into Greece was a new trend of wisdom. The demonstration of this fact would require a long explanation...