Sokrates has been pronounced--by Apollo--the wisest man alive. When he goes to unriddle this prophetic pronouncement--and goes around searching for evidence of what it might mean, exposing others' lack of wisdom as he goes--Sokrates finds that his wisdom consists in his knowing himself to be unwise.
In the Ion, Sokrates claims that those who are gifted in the arts—any arts of any kind—are simply tools of the gods, and are not at all special or knowledgeable by their own merit.
So if wisdom is not in fact wisdom or mastery of the arts, but a gift from the gods, does this same principle not apply to Sokrates' wisdom and his mastery of the spoken word? Is Sokrates a tool of his own gods, the Clouds?
And if Sokrates believes the Clouds are the rightful gods, and not Zeus or Hera or even Apollo, the very god who declared Sokrates' wisdom, who is inspiring or possessing Ion? The Clouds? Or the traditional Greek gods to whom Homer refers in his works?
Are all these "wise" men tools of the Clouds? And if so, why would the Clouds give Sokrates the ability and desire to disprove these "wise" men's wisdom? Wouldn't it be better for the Clouds (or for any other gods for that matter) to just let people believe that the "wise" men are truly wise?
Based upon Sokrates' logic, he is but a tool. So who put this gadfly on the city of Athens and why did they put him there???
[Lightly edited to enhance readability -TT]
Thoughts and Questions on Ion
Posted - Feb 06 2013 : 1:58:58 PM
