#68: Know Thyself

Intellectual Freedom Podcast

On the windswept southern face of the Parnassos Mountain in Greece are the remains of the Temple to Apollo at Delphi. In the 7th century BC, it would have been a glorious sight to see. Once carved into stone at this temple were two simple words, "Know Thyself." It is easy to flippantly dismiss the words as we all think, "of course I know myself, I'm a father, mother, brother, sister, with X occupation, etc, etc." Yet, to truly know yourself beyond the image projected to society is not so easy.In the book, "The Memorable Thoughts of Socrates," by Xenophon, I recently read a Socratic dialogue that caught my attention. A very arrogant and full of himself young man, Euthydemus, who thinks he has life all figured out, comes into conversation with Socrates and ultimately realizes he doesn't actually know much at all. I think our younger selves can all relate to Euthydemus, thinking we got it all figured out, then realizing later in life we don't. For me, it is a reminder of the significance of humility, and the power of humility to lead us in the right direction in discovering ourselves. This podcast discusses how humility can lead to truly uncovering the age-old question of 'know thyself.'

Website: https://www.daviddhopkins.com/
Newsletter: https://intellectualfreedom.substack.com/
Follow Dr. Hopkins on Twitter: https://twitter.com/DavidDHopkins