Summary of Philosophy: A Guide to Happiness, Socrates on Self-Confidence (Part 1)
I recently watched a very thought-provoking film titled Philosophy: A Guide to Happiness. The film sheds light on the philosophies of six of the great thinkers ever to have lived: Socrates, Epicurus, Seneca, Montaigne, Schopenhauer, and Nietzche. It’s neat to explore the thoughts of these individuals through a nice video presentation rather than being tasked with actually having to read a philosophy book. I would recommend anyone, man or woman, child or adult, watch this film, especially if you’re anything like me who knows very little about philosophy.
Part of why I think this film fascinated me so much is that I was pretty estranged with a lot of the ideas presented within. In this fast-paced, technological culture, I’m guilty of never having sat down to read the thoughts of any great philosophers. It’s a shame too because while many of these men lived several centuries ago, their ideas about how we should approach life are timeless and often strikingly simple. I know for myself, and for probably a lot of other people too, there’s sometimes a tendency to shy away from philosophy thinking it will be too complicated and intellectually intimidating. What I’m learning is that the opposite is moreso the case. Philosophy is about cutting through the crap and providing some real answers to the challenges we face as people.
I’m going to dedicate a six-part blog series to breaking down some of the ideas presented by each philosopher in the film, if for no other reason than for my own benefit that I might actually remember some of the lessons I took from this film.
First up is Socrates and his wisdom on self-confidence.
Socrates believed that thinking logically about our lives might help us to be more self-certain and less affected by what other people think. People have a tendency to follow others, especially others that they perceive to be important. We tend to accept that these people must be right. This is precisely the assumption that Socrates encouraged people to question. His viewpoint was that it is more important to think logically about what persons of importance are saying than to accept what they are saying just because we perceive them to be important.
The film offers an easy example of how just because someone important said it doesn’t mean that it’s true: Bill Clinton staring America in the face and proclaiming that he did not have sexual relations with Monica Lewinsky.
An interesting edge that Socrates had over an average person today is ease of access to influential people in civilization. In 400 B.C. Athens, Socrates was able to mingle with these people at the market. He was known for spending most of his time mingling among shop-keepers in Athens and approaching important people to ask them questions about life. Socrates wanted to see what these people were made of. His discovery was that there were surprising inadequacies surrounding the way these “important” people were choosing to live their lives. Their aura of confidence was not earned on account of having it all figured out.
Socrates did not believe that Athenian society should do everything his way. He was simply motivated to find the truth. He did this by challenging lazy assumptions which sometimes made others perceive him as a trouble-maker. But making trouble was not his objective at all. Unfortunately, he was put to death for his allegiance to the search for truth; he was found guilty of corrupting minds of the youth in Athens and not believing in the gods of the state.
Socrates felt that it was a responsibility of all men (and women) to scrutinize what they believe. He thought that we should all reflect on our lives and that we are all capable of doing so. He encouraged us to overcome laziness and fear in order to figure out what we really believe and then stand by those beliefs. He viewed philosophy as an invitation to intelligent non-conformity.
Socrates devised a test which one can use to determine if their opinions are worth standing up for. He suggested that anyone wishing to come up with a good thought should follow five steps in order to do so:
- Look for statements that most people would describe as plain ol’ common sense. Like, “marriage is an important part of happiness.”
- Try to find an exception to this statement. Is it possible to be completely happy without being married? Is there anyone whose life fits as an exception to this?
- If you can find an exception to the statement, then you know the statement is false or imprecise.
- Respond to the original statement with an exception you’ve found. “You can be miserable in a marriage if you’ve married the wrong person.”
- Continue searching for exceptions to the original statement. The truth is found in a statement that seems impossible to disprove.
Socrates believed that through this process we could come to gain confidence in our beliefs. By being able to logically explain our opposition to a statement, we’re less likely to become overwhelmed or intimidated when others disagree with us. This confidence to examine our lives and our beliefs is Socrates’ greatest contribution to mankind. He viewed philosophy as something an ordinary person could participate in. “An unexamined life is not worth living,” he famously said. Socrates brought philosophy out from behind the walls of a university and showed that it can exist on the street corner. He inspired us to live with our minds turned on at all times.
Yet while Socrates believed each person is capable of living an examined life, he knew that not everyone did in practice. To him, this meant that he couldn’t accept that every opinion was equally worth listening to. As such, he was a critic of democracy. Socrates did not believe that just because the majority supported an opinion that it was therefore right. The film suggests that Socrates would find it ridiculous that people of power allow focus groups to determine their course of action. He thought that decisions should be made based on the merits of the arguments in favor of that decision, not solely because a majority of people favor it. Looking back in history, there are of course numerous examples of what were then majority viewpoints that today seem preposterous (i.e. “it’s acceptable to own slaves”).
The painting The Death of Socrates, shown above, is now a famous symbol of someone standing up intelligently against the will of the majority. Even when facing death, Socrates did not lose his nerve. He believed any true philosopher should not fear death. He accepted the death sentence given by his peers believing that the right time had come for him to die. The painting depicts Socrates pointing to the heavens while reaching for the hemlock, delivered by a distraught disciple, he was ordered to drink to stop his heart. Plato is shown grieving at the end of the bed as his friend Crito clutches his leg.
Socrates chose not to flee Athens despite having an opportunity to do so. He was willing to go as far as to die for his beliefs to show the world that people have a capacity to develop their own beliefs and stand behind them confidently.
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