If I ever met Socrates... | Quarantine Story

A piece on a young girl's awe for Socrates.

Sep 3, 2020 - 04:42
Sep 2, 2020 - 16:50
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If I ever met Socrates... | Quarantine Story

With all the knowledge I have now and additional fluency in Greek, if I could ever go back and meet Socrates, In awe, I would listen to the man for hours. A discussion with Socrates is the best kind of self-help for a torpedo-fish like me. There are certain restrictions, of course, the biggest one of being a woman in Ancient Greece. It would not be very easy for me as a woman to engage in a discussion publicly with him. I wonder as he does to other dialectic-fellows if he would refer to me by my parents’ names? Would he call me a comrade or a dear friend? Would he comment on my appearances? 

Pic: Death of Socrates- oil on canvas painting, depicting the death of Socrates as described in Plato's Phaedo (Artist: Jacques-Louis David in 1787). 

I do have a few questions for him. With all the jargon that developed much later in history, I would ask him these ten questions. 

  1. Has never his contemplation taken the form of cynical scepticism?
  2. What is the secret of his values? How did he deal with societal conditioning?
  3. What is the guiding diamonian that he talks about? Does everyone have a diamonian?
  4. How important is the dialectic for a society?
  5. Why did he not write himself?
  6. Does he also engage in such dialectics with his wife, Xanthippe?
  7. Why did he ever marry?
  8. Why did he marry Xanthippe?
  9. Does he think his life is exemplary?
  10. Finally, does he believe in a supernatural being?

Pic: Socrates with Xanthippe (his wife)- an emblem book print of Xanthippe pouring a chamber pot over Socrates (Otho Vaenius, 1607)

I am sure he would be amused at many of my questions, and a lengthy discussion would ensue. Now that I have read his dialogues a little, I would understand his humour and irony better. Every discussion would hint at the importance of good and wisdom. We would sit a place forever, until the late evening when my parents would order me to return home. He would end the discussion as he would say that it was a good discussion and he is looking forward to talking to people who are more mature than me. 

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SophiaAman An Indian living in the Netherlands. Aspiring polymath. Homebody. Introvert. interested in everything under the sun and the moon. Writes on the topics of philosophy. women, culture, books, movies and much more.