Socrates and Knowledge:

Dealing with the Existence of Unconscious and Conscious Thoughts

Introduction

Socrates held the view that one must engage in self-examination if one is to thwart ignorance. Ignorancea lack of knowledge of truth and of ones selfprevents men from reaching the good and the beautiful. Those who live in ignorance persist in a state of self-deception and false contentment, for within they harbor bitterness, envy, hatred, and all other manner of vicesi.e., the opposite of virtues, which must be possessed to attain the good and the beautiful. For Socrates, wisdom comes through self-examination, because it is in ones mind and will that one sees who one really is in relation to the truth of things. For Stein, the Unconscious in terms of past decisions is relevant here. Stein noted that information can act on ones mind and will without a person being conscious of it. However, one must still overcome passivity and become consciouswhich is essentially what Socrates is trying to get people to do. In this essay, I argue in favor of Socrates view that man is in a battle between his conscious and his unconscious self, and to attain the good and the beautiful he must become conscious of his true self in relation to the good and the beautiful. Through contemplation of this reality of things, he enjoys the good and the beautiful. What I am not arguing for is that the Unconscious acts independently of the conscious mind and will; for as Stein points out, the Unconscious is passive, and one must ultimately become active if one is to thwart ignorance.

First, this paper defines Socrates view on the unconscious. Second, it clarifies it in the light of Steins views on passivity and activity. Third, it discusses Brentanos view on consciousness. Finally, it explains the difference between Socrates view and Brentanos by developing the idea that Socrates is focused on the goal of consciousness, which is truth, whereas Brentano is focused on the mechanics of consciousness.

Dealing with Ignorance and the Unconscious Mind

In the context of Platos Apology, in which Socrates discusses why he teaches, the existence of unconscious thoughts and behaviors is relevant because in the Apology Socrates is going about seeking to find a man who is wiser than he, so as to prove the oracle wrong. Yet the men he interacts with all prefer to lead lives in which there is no reflection; they do not even want to engage in self-analysis or try to discern who they are or whether what they are doing is right or wrong. They prefer to live unconscious lives, with unconscious thoughts leading them into unconscious behavior. They want to be rid of consciousness, of thought, of self-knowledge because to have self-knowledge is to have wisdom and the ability to discern how one is living. When one discerns how one is living, one can also discern the extent to which one is living well. At root of Socrates inquiries is the goal of getting men to live better livesbut men prefer only to live in a subjective mode, where truth is not a condition of goodness.

For Socrates it is imperative that one understand what exists and that, above all, truth exists. That is why he points out to those who think they are wise that they are ignorant because they do not examine or critique their so-called wisdom. Their views are all based on presumptions and false assumptions. Thus, he states candidly, when speaking dismissively of a so-called wise politician: Well, although I do not suppose that either of us knows anything really beautiful and good, I am better off than he is,for he knows nothing, and thinks that he knows; I neither know nor think that I know (Plato).

Brentanos Infinite Regress

Socrates assertion connects with Brentanos infinite regress argument. Brentano states: As everyone knows, memory is, to a great extent, subject to illusion, while inner perception is infallible and does not admit of doubt. When the phenomena which are retained by the memory are substituted for those of inner perception, they introduce uncertainty and the possibility of many sorts of self-deception into this area at the same time. Socrates was pointing out that the so-called wise men...

Socrates also felt the same way, for in his defense of his actions he explains that his teaching was really a pursuit of knowledge, born of a desire to be free from deception. He is advocating for conscious thought; he wants men to awaken to consciousness. Brentano differs in that he does not perceive unconscious thought as having existence, since the mind is always at work and is always working either to be true in its linear perceptions or false in its distortions of reality through inaccurate memories and depictions.

Brentano also states that we call not only perception and cognition, but also all presentations, states of consciousness. If something appears in our imagination, we say that it appears in consciousness. Some people have characterized every mental act as consciousness, be it an idea, a cognition, an erroneous opinion, a feeling, an act of will or any other kind of mental phenomenon. This is where Brentano blurs the line between consciousness and unconsciousness, as though the two were sides of the same coin. It is Steins argument that the unconscious may be at workbut what is absent is the will and conscious effort of the mind to bring the unconscious into actuality. It must be brought into actuality to be realand that is Socrates contention is well. It is why he teaches and why speaks: he wants truth to be brought out into the light where it can be examined and treated as real, which it is.

Brentano argues that all mental phenomena are both actively and passively conscious (Marchesi). Part of the reason for Brentanos argument is that he sees all mental phenomena as having two objectsa primary and secondary object: for example, sound is primary and the hearing one does is secondary. Brentano elaborates on the play between the unconscious and the conscious: We use the term unconscious in two ways. First, in an active sense, speaking of a person who is not conscious of a thing; secondly, in a passive sense, speaking of a thing of which we are not conscious. In the first sense, the expression unconscious consciousness would be a contradiction, but not in the second. It is in the latter sense that the term unconscious is used here (79). In Brentanos view, thereore, one sees that a person cannot actively be unconsciously conscious; yet one can be passively unconscious. The important takeaway is that unconsciousness is tied to passivity. This is the claim that Stein makes. The difference is that one can direct the will to remain actively resistant to overcoming passivity. One can resist engaging actively with mental phenomena. This occurs time and time again with Socrates and those he seeks to educate. A perfect example is found in Euthyphro, when Socrates tries to convince the young man that all might not be well in the latters attempt to prosecute his own father. Euthyphro is on the verge of questioning his hitherto unconscious (to him) aims, because Socrates is now making them apparent to his consciousness. Euthyphro finally begs off and says he must hurry away because he does not want to confront his unconscious motivesbut it is already too late: they are now knocking at the door and he is aware of their presence, even if he refuses to open the door and acknowledge them. This may be why Brentano refers to the presentation of things rather than to consciousness.

The point here is that Socrates understood the struggle that human beings go through within themselves to suppress information from their conscious minds. The unconscious existence of things is there but is of no sense to the mind that does not register them. For Euthyphro, the morality of his actions exists like an unconscious agent out in the street: it has not yet knocked at the door of his being as he is ignorant of himself. Socrates essentially introduces Euthyphro to consciousness and Euthyphro abruptly slams the door in Socrates face: no one is home! he so much as saysbut of course now he is lying to himself and actively trying to maintain his former state of passivity, which is no longer…