Introductory Post

A warm welcome to you, reader!

Have you been wondering about the strange name of this blog? Well, then I am sure this post will quench your curiosity. 

Let’s start with a story, shall we?

A long time back, around 300-400 BC, there lived a great Greek philosopher named Socrates in Athens. Once, the oracle of Delfi stated that Socrates is the wisest man in entire Athens. This greatly puzzled Socrates who used to consider himself as the most ignorant man in the land. To check the validity of the oracle’s claim, Socrates sets out to find someone wiser than him by initiating a dialogue with the poets, politicians, craftsmen, all sorts of people in Athens. What he finds is that poets don't know why their words move people, craftsmen only know how to master their trade and not much else, and politicians think they are wise but don't have the knowledge to back it up.  He discovers that none of the people knew anything, but they all thought they did. Socrates then concludes that he indeed is the wisest man, because he at least knows that he knows nothing! He is wise not because he knows more than anybody else, but because he is aware of his own ignorance.

This is famously known as the Socratic paradox. Later, the story was used by another philosopher named J S Mill to defend a philosophical theory called Utilitarianism. He comes up with this quote:

“It is better to be a Socrates dissatisfied than a fool satisfied”.

What moral do I draw from this philosophical discussion and the story? I believe it’s important to be aware of the fact that we only ‘know’ in bits and pieces, yet sometimes we believe it to be the absolute truth; we do not challenge the existing knowledge or the believes we hold; we do not reflect on our actions, on our experiences and how they’re shaping our world view.

Through this blog, I try to embark upon the journey of ‘reflecting’, critically looking at the world around me and trying to make sense of it. After all, as the saying (again attributed to Socrates) goes: “An unexamined life is not worth living!”

You’re more than welcome to accompany me in my journey, I look forward to having an insightful exchange of reflections with you (The comments section is open to all)!