Apology Question 3

 Primary text:

Apology

Question:

What does the oracle say about Socrates?  Who is the only wise person according to Socrates?

Answers:

The Phythian priestess said there was no one wiser than Socrates. 

"I shall call upon the god at Delphi as witness to the existence and nature of my wisdom, if it be such. You know Chaerephon. He was my friend from youth, and the friend of most of you, as he shared your exile and your return. You surely know the kind of man he was, how impulsive in any course of action. He went to Delphi at one time and ventured to ask the oracle—as I say, gentlemen, do not create a disturbance—he asked if any man was wiser than I, and the Pythian replied that no one was wiser." (See Apology 20e - 21b)

Socrates says that the god is the wisest. The oracle at Delphi said that no one was wiser than Socrates. Socrates concluded that the god alone is truly wise, and that he is “wisest” only in the sense that he recognizes that human wisdom is worth little or nothing.

"As a result of this investigation, men of Athens, I acquired much unpopu-larity, of a kind that is hard to deal with and is a heavy burden; many slanders came from these people and a reputation for wisdom, for in each case the bystanders thought that I myself possessed the wisdom that I proved that my interlocutor did not have. What is probable, gentlemen, is that in fact the god is wise and that his oracular response meant that human wisdom is worth little or nothing, and that when he says this man, Socrates, he is using my name as an example, as if he said: “This man among you, mortals, is wisest who, like Socrates, understands that his wisdom is worthless.” So even now I continue this investigation as the god bade me—and I go around seeking out anyone, citizen or stranger, whom I think wise. Then if I do not think he is, I come to the assistance of the god and show him that he is not wise. Because of this occupation, I do not have the leisure to engage in public affairs to any extent, nor indeed to look after my own, but I live in great poverty because of my service to the god." (See Apology 23b)

Reference:

Plato (1997). Plato: Complete Works. Hackett Publishing. https://bookshelf.vitalsource.com/books/9781603846707