Apology

“I am wiser than this man; it is likely that neither of us knows anything worthwhile, but he thinks he knows something when he does not, whereas when I do not know, neither do I think I know; so I am likely to be wiser than he to this small extent, that I do not think I know what I do not know.” 

Socrates’s assessment of his own wisdom compared to others’ is suffused with irony. By admitting his ignorance, he effectively establishes that he is wiser than the Athenian elites, who know just as little but are unable or unwilling to acknowledge this point. Yet despite the irony and humor Socrates seeks to convey with this statement, there is a measure of sincerity in his belief that the wisest individuals are those who openly admit their own ignorance.

“In my investigation in the service of the god I found that those who had the highest reputation were nearly the most deficient, while those who were thought to be inferior were more knowledgeable.”

Socrates is deeply mistrustful of public reputation as a signifier of wisdom or goodness. This likely stems from a broader conviction that the life of a public servant is not conducive to moral, ethical, or spiritual integrity, as he learned when he served on the council and was the lone voice of opposition against the unlawful executions of six generals. In turn, he acknowledges the wisdom of lower-class citizens like craftsmen, who at least possess useful knowledge in their fields.

“This man among you, mortals, is wisest who, like Socrates, understands that his wisdom is worthless.”

Socrates frames his philosophical journey as an effort to determine why the oracle of Delphi claimed he was the wisest man in Athens. Given that his life is one of constant questioning and introspection, Socrates’s only rational conclusion is that the greatest expression of wisdom is to acknowledge how little one knows.