ARMAGEDDON POP

"What did you do to Athens, Socrates, That the people bear a golden statue to you, Having first poisoned you..." —C.K. Norwid

"An unexamined life is not worth living." —Plato, The Apology of Socrates

"For I do nothing but go about persuading both young and old among you not to care for your bodies or for wealth more than for the soul, to make it as good as possible; and I tell you that virtue does not come from wealth, but that wealth and every other good thing, public and private, comes from virtue." —Plato, The Apology of Socrates

"Suppose you were to say to me: 'Socrates, we will release you, but on the condition that you no longer engage in your investigations or practice philosophy; if you are caught doing so again, you shall die.' If you were to release me on these terms, I would say to you: 'Men of Athens, I respect and love you, but I shall obey the god rather than you, and as long as I breathe and am able, I shall not cease to practice philosophy [...]'" —Plato, The Apology of Socrates

Welcome! In today's installment of my philosophical reflections, we will delve into the question of philosophy as the meaning of life, using Plato's dialogue The Apology of Socrates as our example. As we can infer from Socrates' declarations above, philosophy represents the highest value, for which it is worth sacrificing everything—even life. Is there anything more important than the pursuit of truth, beauty, and goodness in the world? And what is philosophy if not the search for ultimate answers about humanity and its reality?

Socrates serves as the archetype and model of a true philosopher. As we know from history, he is not the only one who died for the beliefs he proclaimed. Great figures such as Christ, Boethius, Giordano Bruno, and Thomas More also perished for the ideals they upheld. However, Socrates is perhaps the most significant philosopher in history, even though he left behind no writings of his own. To this day, Socrates fascinates all who have encountered philosophy. What was so special about this man that he became a legend?

Socrates dedicated his life to others, teaching them philosophy, which was his life's wisdom. Through his unwavering stance—worthy of a Stoic—Socrates validated his beliefs. Since he was willing to give his life for them, it means he deeply believed in their truth. Had he renounced his professed views, his beliefs—which could be called "philosophical faith"—would have lost their power.

Socrates is not only the wisest but also the most virtuous of ancient philosophers. However, we should not strip him of his humanity, for he was "supremely human." If we were to search with a lantern in the marketplace for an authentic person, we should turn to Socrates. We should avoid extremes—neither idealizing nor depreciating him.

Suppose we wished to paint a portrait of Socrates. How would we depict him? As an elderly man, surrounded by students, explaining a philosophical issue? Perhaps drinking wine like a satyr in Plato's Symposium? Maybe as a condemned man, drinking hemlock instead of wine? Or as a wanderer? A soldier? A philosopher? It's difficult to definitively determine what this portrait of Socrates should be. In my opinion, however, it should depict a human being, not an idealization or deity, which he could easily become in the writings of his students.

Let us return to the essence of our question. Does philosophy constitute the meaning of life? Or perhaps the search for that meaning? Could such a search ever achieve its goal? After all, reality is so multidimensional or multilayered—as a phenomenologist might say—that grasping the Kantian "noumenon" (the thing-in-itself) seems an unattainable task for any human being. Does that mean that a life devoted to the search for truth, goodness, and beauty is a wasted life? I don't think so.

Does philosophy offer us consolation as it did for Boethius? Or does it lead us to the abyss of despair or madness? I believe that life's circumstances vary, but we should seek the "middle way" (as Buddha taught), maintaining balance whether things are going well or not at any given moment. This aligns with the advice of Marcus Aurelius, who said: "Lord, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference." Therefore, we should strive for inner balance, regardless of our current situation.

Philosophy is not only the essence and meaning of life—not just the goal but also the path to the goal. As the famous student of Plato, whose master was Socrates—the Stagirite (Aristotle)—said: "If we must philosophize, then we must philosophize; if we must not philosophize, we must still philosophize—to determine why we should not philosophize. In any case, therefore, we must philosophize. For if philosophy exists, we ought to philosophize because it exists; if it does not exist, we ought to investigate why it does not exist, and in investigating, we are philosophizing, since inquiry is the foundation of philosophy." (Aristotle, Protrepticus, fragment 2).

In conclusion, I would like to recommend to those interested in Socrates several publications concerning this great sage: Socrates. Lectures on Ancient Philosophy by Jan Patočka, Socrates. Philosopher of Life, Philosopher of Death by Maciej Wodziński, and of course, Plato's dialogues—particularly The Apology of Socrates cited in this article.

Thank you for your attention, and I wish you many fascinating philosophical pursuits.