Ideals of Education and Wisdom

Ideals of Education and Wisdom in the Apology of Socrates and One Thousand and One Nights

Stories and historical accounts often serve to show us something about how a society or culture works. This is true of both the Apology of Socrates and One Thousand and One Nights. The Apology of Socrates tells the modern reader a great deal about the ideals of education, wisdom, and politics from Socrates' era. Similarly, One Thousand and One Nights illustrates the ideals of a historic period through the morals and results of the stories told by Shahrazad. On a close inspection of both pieces of literature, it is clear the ideals of education and wisdom are still familiar and relevant in the United States today.

One of the ideals held by Socrates and his contemporaries (though they expressed it in different ways) was that of education. Education was a worthy cause then as it is now, apparent in Socrates' high praise of the teaching profession: "if a man were really able to instruct mankind, to receive money for giving instruction would, in my opinion, be an honor for him" (782). He relates this information in contrast to those teachers who are much sought after and highly paid (782). The high ideal of education is apparent in Socrates' statement and the willingness of others to spend great sums on education. This is not at all unlike today, where families save for years to send children to expensive universities.

One Thousand and One Nights also places importance on being educated and clever. This is most apparent in the heroine, Shahrazad. Shahrazad, "was intelligent, knowledgeable, wise, and refined. She had read and learned" (1575). That education and wisdom allow her to develop the plan that appeases the King. It also allows her to carry through with the plan, since she knows enough about the world and history to continue telling stories that will fill the need. Without her education and knowledge, Shahrazad would have been killed like the rest and the kingdom would continue in despair. Again, this emphasis on education and cleverness is still relevant today; individuals compete for jobs, promotions, and in educational pursuits. All of these are aided by better educations, cleverness, and knowledge.

As in One Thousand and One Nights and current society, the Apology of Socrates also depicts a society in search of wisdom and answers. In One Thousand and One Nights this is most apparent in the King's desire to know the answers of each of Shahrazad's riddling stories. High value is also placed on those of Shahrazad's characters who can outwit the others. Socrates mentions again and again that he is not wise, but is searching for someone who is. He explains his frustration on examining one man who "was not really wise, although he was thought wise by many, and still wiser by himself" (783). Obviously, the man Socrates interviewed thought very highly of himself and was not truly interested in becoming wise due to inflated ego. This is relevant to a number of current day examples, including writers, teachers, and other famous people who are respected but are not really all that wise. Many of us nevertheless read books by "experts" and seek out wisdom from those who are more experienced than us when we face problems.