The story about Socrates (lived in Athens 469-399 BCE) is that he was told by the Oracle that he was the wisest of men. He doubted that was possible so he went about asking people questions in order to find someone wiser than himself. In all his questioning he never was able to find definitive answers, let alone anyone wiser than himself.
In the end he met his end (who doesn’t?) because he had provoked so many people by showing they did not know what they professed to know.
One way to look at Socrates is as an obsessed person on a quest that brought him neither universal admiration (during his lifetime) nor wealth. Some would say he lived a life of “not knowing but wanting to know” (as Dr. Frank Cronin claims in his A Cock for Asclepius, 2nd edition, Fredericton, 2014). Eventually he was found (unjustifiably) guilty of breaking the law and opted for suicide by drinking hemlock surrounded by friends in prison rather than be banished from Athens. The most popular of the the Platonic dialogues document the trial and death of Socrates. It doesn’t seem like a great way to live.
On the other hand, consider a pig well looked after by his keeper, content with belly full and no predators. His is a life of “itching and scratching”, of wants always met. This is a fictional pig in an ideal circumstance with less than average smarts, happy just to be looked after.)
(Let us not think of this as a pig in a factory farm as the animal rights community has brought to startling public attention; neither let us think of our pig as very bright as science now tells us pigs really are.)
So our question is, “Is it better to be Socrates unsatisfied than a pig satisfied?” Which would you rather be: aware, wondering and forever searching, or content, unthinking and oblivious? If you would rather be the pig, then re-consider plugging into the pleasure machine described in our previous post. If you would rather be Socrates, why? In other words, would you rather to be insightful, ambitious, inquisitive, creative and constantly restless with life or content in the daily routine, a couch potato amused by watching TV? It’s yours to choose.
So let’s have a first crack at the 6 big questions we listed earlier. We’ll begin with “What exists?” then move to “What is the nature of what exists?”. Our first approach will entail stating the traditional answers and then seeing if they hold up under closer scrutiny.
