from the tomb of an insane mad man

[owiz22]

From the perspectives of conventional thought, man is held to certain standards, certain expectations, certain requirements and obligations .... We are all the unfortunate victims of this brutal system of mass indoctrination. Walking zombies doing what we are told and believing what we are taught. There is no space for flexibility and time for real

Comments

[root_fu]

This.

my view:

[enders_shadow]

I fear this is not quite right, actually

Re: my view:

[root_fu]

But I do not think Socrates should be quoted as saying what the OP has him saying.

I think that notion somewhat proves all of OP's points.

Virtually no one wants to admit that Buddha never claimed to be anything other than an ordinary man.

No one wants to admit that Socrates admitted to "knowing nothing".

No one wants to admit that Jesus consorted with harlots and criminals.

The reason why no one wants to admit these things is because people have an innate tendency to seek out sources of certainty. They wish to believe in something bigger than themselves, something infallible. And, Socrates admitting to knowing "nothing" diminishes that.

Therefore, I would guess that you do not think Socrates should be quoted as such as it is not within your own self interests.

Speaking theoretically, of course.

Re: my view:

[nel_rambling]

...or it could be that there is no record of Socrates having said that, and so it would be an error to credit him with it. Or are you assuming that there has been some deliberate rewriting of Socrates over the centuries in order to make him appear infallible? If so, I'd dearly like to see your sources.

[omegamatrix]

Is this what you think? Or can one arrive at conclusions without any thought to thought?