Colegio San Jose de Alaminos, Inc.
College of Arts and Sciences
Department of Philosophy
Seminar on Ancient Thinkers
Rev. Fr. Melchor Joseph C. Braga
On Apology
Jimric Antros R. Jimenez
The main topic in Apology which Plato wrote is the Trial of Socrates due to the
accusation that he’s corrupting the minds of the youth through his teachings. However, two
philosophical themes strike and are very relevant in one’s existence today. The first one is
Ignorance as wisdom, and the second is the Examination of life.
In Athens, there is an oracle at Delphi who claims that no man is wiser than Socrates, for
the reason that Socrates acknowledges his ignorance, by saying “All I know, is I know nothing.”
Basically, Ignorance as wisdom is a metaphor for acknowledging one’s weakness. This means to
say, that man could not do everything or he could not rationalize everything. Acknowledging
one’s ignorance is the way of humbleness. It’s a big question to a man if he knows everything.
Learning can be part of understanding one he cannot know. If he knows that he doesn’t actually
know, it is part of learning. If a man doesn’t know something, it will give a bigger picture to
strive more for wisdom since there is ignorance. However, it is more philosophical when a man
knows something it gives more ignorance—the more he doesn’t know. Life for instance, a man
walking on the shore in which he knows that there is an ocean but he doesn’t actually know that
it is deep, there is an ignorance about how the deep ocean is. Now, how’s that ignorance of deep
ocean will give a man a wisdom? By acknowledging that deep ocean, by diving to that deep
ocean(ignorance), the more he will swim to that ignorance, the more wisdom he will accumulate
—the more he will know how deep ocean is or the more he will know how ignorant he is.
Second, in acknowledging one’s ignorance and to have a real wisdom there must be an
examination of life. As Socrates famous quotation would say, “The unexamined life is not worth
living.” Why there must be an examination to life? It is very hard to imagine for a man to live
without any purposes or goal. Thus, this examination to life sets a question; What I am doing?
Why I am doing this? How I will do this? And When I will do this? The What, why, How and
When are simple words but yet it is hard to answer. These set of questions will allow man to
examine his daily life. But the best question to answer is the question of WHY? It is because it
allows man to set his achievement or even to know himself more. Now if he could not answer
the question why, how he could be able to do such things. Because the moment that man ask
himself why, it sets a good motivation and a clarity to everything. Life is very vague, if a man
cannot see what’s in front of him and not examining it. Furthermore, an examination to life is
also knowing thyself. A man should know himself well, to have a good examination in life.
Imagine a man doesn’t know himself the being of himself , how could he understand himself nor
to examine himself what he wanted all throughout his life. To connect everything, if a man
doesn’t know what he doesn’t know, there must be an examination too. An examine to knowing
he doesn’t know—he knows nothing. Because by knowing that he knows nothing can be part of
examining his life and his life is worthy to live.
Colegio San Jose de Alaminos, Inc.
College of Arts and Sciences
Department of Philosophy
