Posted by: jkdwarrior
Knowing that you know nothing - 11/12/08 11:13 PM
If you can accept that the only true wisdom is in knowing that you know nothing, then surely it would be truely foolish to believe that we get wiser as we get older. Yet the vast majority of older people feel they are wiser than those who are younger.
Furthermore if you accept that Socrates was right, knowing that you know nothing could mean open mindedness. Yet the older generations seem to be more "set in their ways", or closed to new experiences, and therefore more foolish. In my experience, most older people are fools (as are most of the others), but some are light years beyond myself in terms of wisdom. Most very young children on the other hand are open to almost anything and therefore wiser than us all. I can see quite clearly that my children are wiser than me, they can instantly forgive me for shouting or punishing whereas I would need a few minutes to forgive somebody for the same. Is this because I've "learned" more which has made me more foolish? Or is wisdom something you either have or you don't?
If knowledge increases with age, we may learn how to go about our daily lives more effectively, but this may be what makes us fools.
I don't want to offend any of the older members, but then again if this does offend then that is really my point, a truly wise person would not get offended. If we believe we are wise
then we cannot see that we are full of crap
Am I simply too young to see?
Controversial eh?
What do you think?
Furthermore if you accept that Socrates was right, knowing that you know nothing could mean open mindedness. Yet the older generations seem to be more "set in their ways", or closed to new experiences, and therefore more foolish. In my experience, most older people are fools (as are most of the others), but some are light years beyond myself in terms of wisdom. Most very young children on the other hand are open to almost anything and therefore wiser than us all. I can see quite clearly that my children are wiser than me, they can instantly forgive me for shouting or punishing whereas I would need a few minutes to forgive somebody for the same. Is this because I've "learned" more which has made me more foolish? Or is wisdom something you either have or you don't?
If knowledge increases with age, we may learn how to go about our daily lives more effectively, but this may be what makes us fools.
I don't want to offend any of the older members, but then again if this does offend then that is really my point, a truly wise person would not get offended. If we believe we are wise
then we cannot see that we are full of crap
Am I simply too young to see?
Controversial eh?
What do you think?