Plato's View of Wisdom and Virtue in The Dialogues

Socrates and the Spiritual Things

Socrates certainly believed in spiritual things and in God. He professes in the Apology that he only did what he did (teach the youth) so as to be in union with the will of God. Socrates also believed that true virtue could only be obtained through union with God. And as we know from his dialogue with Euthyphro God cannot be in contradiction with Himself—yet all the gods and goddesses endlessly fighting presuppose contradiction. It is clear that Socrates believed in God as the source of all truth, all goodness, and all virtue—and since the Greek gods were gods of contradiction it stands to reason that Socrates believed in a God only vaguely reflected in the stories of the Greek gods and goddesses. He was, therefore, “guilty” of not believing in the Greek gods—for he had pierced the veil of Heaven to some extent through the sheer light of reason and discovered certain truths about God that could not be denied. Thus, the accusation of not believing in the Greek gods but instead in some other spiritual things is to some extent accurate.

Based on “Apology,” “Euthyphro” and “Meno” it is clear that Socrates is his own man when it comes to thinking about spiritual things—i.e., he is not just going to accept whatever someone else tells him about the spiritual life. He is going to think about it, consider it deeply, analyze it from multiple sides, and try to make a decision about it after discussing it with others, as he does with Euthyphro and Meno. In “Euthyphro,” Socrates wants to know what it means to be pious and pleasing to the gods, and he acts as though Euthyphro must know what this means since Euthyphro is willing to prosecute his own father without fear of offending the gods. Yet Euthyphro cannot answer the question to Socrates’ satisfaction, and the dialogue ends with Socrates expression his vexation at being left without an answer. The implication is that Socrates does not believe that many know what it means to be good, to be righteous, to be virtuous, or to be mindful of the spiritual things—the transcendental values.

Socrates defends himself in “Apology” by giving the impression that he does believe in the gods—or at least someone in his position should believe in the gods—“Those who spread that rumor, gentlemen, are my dangerous c accusers, for their hearers believe that those who study these things do not even believe in the gods” (Apology 23). Yet, immediately after, Socrates says he possesses no art to teach young men anything, and he mocks those who say he has it. He himself protests that he has but “human wisdom”—not divine wisdom, which he attributes to the gods (Apology 25). He tells the story of how Chaerephon went to the oracle at Delphi and asked if any was wiser than Socrates, and the reply was that “no one was wiser” (Apology 26). Socrates took this to mean that no one was wise—period. And all his “teaching” was simply a demonstration of this fact, such at least goes his humorous argument in “Apology.”

Socrates did believe that there was wisdom, however, in knowing that one knew nothing. Only in approaching truth form a humble starting point can one near the divine heights where knowledge enables one to close in on virtue. The pursuit of virtue (knowledge) is the virtue for Socrates. This is his explanation in “Meno.”

In “Meno” Socrates defines virtue as a “gift from the gods” but not something that is understood or that can be taught, for if it could be taught then one could make another into a virtuous man simply by explaining it to him (Meno 92). What Socrates means is that all men have a free will and that virtue is in the will. It is why good men, when they die, are eulogized and called divine by their admirers—because in life they appeared virtuous and near to God.

Being near to God is what Socrates suggests virtue is. Being near to God is what is in his mind all along—the spiritual matter that is his focus. Knowledge and learning are only useful in the sense that one learns that one has no knowledge or wisdom because all wisdom is with God. One who pays for learning or pays a teacher is actually a fool since no teacher is God. Yet Socrates believes that if one recognizes that one knows nothing and uses reason to understand that virtue can still be acquired as a gift from God then one can still be something quite good—something right—something spiritual or divine.

Socrates could not be said, therefore, to be an atheist simply because he did not believe that the stories of the gods could necessarily be used to teach men knowledge or virtue. He believed in God in the sense that all wisdom and grace must have a source—a spring—a fountain, since it is from this place only that any man acquires the gift of virtue, as it is defined in “Meno.” What Socrates believes is that wisdom is not something man obtains through his own skill or learning or knowledge. It is not a trade like carpentry that can be taught. A carpenter can teach another to be a carpenter. That is obvious. But can a man teach another wisdom? Socrates argues that wisdom comes from God alone—a “gift from the gods” as it is said in “Meno.”