Wisdom 2

21 November 2023

Wisdom 2

“’And how about those of seemly conduct? . . . They are self-restrained because of a kind of self-indulgence.  We say, to be sure, that this is impossible, nevertheless their foolish self-restraint amounts to little more than this; for they fear that they may be deprived of certain pleasures which they desire, and so they refrain from some because they are under the sway of others.  And yet being ruled by pleasures is called self-indulgence.  Nevertheless they conquer pleasures because they are conquered by other pleasures.  Now this is about what I said just now, that they are self-restrained by a kind of self-indulgence.’

“’So it seems.’

“’My dear Simmias, I suspect that this is not the right way to purchase virtue, by exchanging pleasures for pleasures, and pains for pains, and fear for fear, and greater for less, as if they were coins, but the only right coinage, for which all those things must be exchanged and by means of and with which all these things are to be bought and sold, is in fact wisdom; and courage and self-restraint and justice and, in short, true virtue exist only with wisdom, whether pleasures and fears and other things of that sort are added or taken away.  And virtue which consists in the exchange of such things for each other without wisdom, is but a painted imitation of virtue and is really slavish and has nothing healthy or true in it; but truth is in fact a purification from all these things, and self-restraint and justice and courage and wisdom itself are a kind of purification.’”

(Plato, Phaedo, translated by Harold North Fowler, Plato I: Euthyphro, Apology, Crito, Phaedo, Phaedrus, Loeb Classical Library, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1914, pages 241-243, 68E-69C, ISBN: 0674990404)

1.  Here Socrates links wisdom to the practice of the virtues.  The practice of the virtues needs to be grounded on wisdom which is a kind of purification.  And purification is learning to not base one’s life and activities on sensory pleasure.

2.  It is interesting to me how this passage points to virtues and their cultivation as beyond the pleasure/pain dichotomy.  This understanding differs from that of utilitarianism which regards pleasure and pain as the central realities of an ethical life and the ground upon which ethical calculation should take place.  But Platonism would consider utilitarianism ‘slavish’ because it is attached to sensory experience and, further, bases its approach to ethics upon sensory experience.  But Platonism would see this approach as having ‘nothing healthy or true in it.’ 

3.  This quote is, I think, an expression of what I refer to as the ‘Ascetic Ideal.’  The foundation of the Ascetic Ideal is to refrain from using the senses as a guide for a philosophical, or spiritual, life.  Whether or not a particular activity gives you pleasure or pain does not determine the worthiness of that activity.  This is not difficult to understand, it is a point made, for example, in sports.  A common phrase associated with building up the musculature of the body is ‘no pain no gain.’  On the other hand, nutritional supplements are common for bodybuilders and other athletes and do not generate any pain; they might even be blended into a drink that has a pleasing taste.  In other words, pain and pleasure are not the guiding principle.

In a similar way, the philosopher lives a life in which sensory pleasure and pain are not the guiding principles; other considerations, such as non-harming and the cultivation of wisdom, are more important guides.  This means cultivating a sense of distance from sensory input; not exactly ignoring sensory input, but not letting sensory input and stimulation be the singular guide for one’s activities.

4.  We live in a culture in which pleasurable feelings, no matter how damaging to self and others, are thought of as sufficient justification for pursuing an activity.  The effects of this belief are easily seen in the prevalence of various types of addiction (alcohol and drugs), overeating, and other widespread pleasure-based activities.  Such an approach to life is tremendously destructive even on the mundane level.  For a life that seeks transcendent wisdom such a life makes ascending to this reality impossible.

5.  “Wisdom itself is a kind of purification.”  I see purification as the gradual process of living a life in line with the Ascetic Ideal.  We are purified from being dominated by the senses, directed by sensory stimulation.  This leads to equanimity and insight, including the insight into what is eternal and what is not.  And when we know what is eternal, eternal as such, we find our way back to true peace.