What is the meaning of the phrase “I only know that I know nothing”?

Philosophy is characterized by its great ideas and questions that challenge our understanding of the world and even ourselves. Since ancient times, the Athenian philosopher Socrates is known for his work from which the famous phrase derives: “I only know that I know nothing.”

In this article we will unravel the enigma of this reflection and explore how it can enlighten us to follow a path of self-discovery. Likewise, we propose current interpretations, related to its meaning in education.

Socrates: precursor of “I only know that I know nothing”

Socrates was a Greek philosopher born in the city of Athens, around the year 470 BC. C. He distinguished himself by walking the streets asking the truth of things. His interlocutors were all those who crossed his path, the famous Plato being one of them.

His philosophical activity caused a lot of discomfort among some citizens. So much so that they accused Socrates of corrupting youth and denying the gods. In this stage, the platonic text «“The Apology of Socrates” narrates the defense of the thinker against the accusations what they did to him.

In court, Socrates stated, as part of his defense, the reason that led him to undertake his philosophical activity. This is where the phrase “I only know that I know nothing” took on a very particular meaning.

How does Socrates arrive at “I only know that I know nothing”?

Socrates stated that his philosophical work began as an attempt to interpret the sentence of the oracle of Delphi. He said that Socrates was the wisest man in all of Athens and no one could surpass him in wisdom.

Thus the philosopher mobilized to investigate and question those who seemed wiser or were considered wiser. In his investigations he found that in reality this knowledge that those men possessed was too superb. This arrogance was accompanied by a lack of awareness regarding the limits of one’s own knowledge.

Awareness of the limits of one’s own knowledge

Socrates interpreted the sentence of the Delphic oracle in a somewhat paradoxical way: he He was the wisest because he was aware of the limits of his own knowledge. In this sense, wisdom had nothing to do with possessing specific or contained knowledge, but rather the opposite, not knowing was knowledge.

In this way, the phrase “I only know that I know nothing” makes us aware of our own ignorance. And there is nothing wrong with that, in fact, Socrates considered that it is a mistake to attribute knowledge and skills that you do not actually have.

Furthermore, it represents an evil for the soul not to recognize our ignorance. In this regard, there is a particular conception of knowledge. We can only progress in our knowledge if we overcome error and ignorance.

The search for the meaning of life

As we said, Socrates begins his investigation through questions that generate a certain insecurity about our own knowledge. However, This uncertainty contains within it a certainty: it is known that nothing is known, it is a fact.

The Socratic question is an inquiry into the meaning of things. More profound is the interpretation made by Jorge Riezu, who maintains that Socrates’ question encourages us to question the meaning of life.

In this dimension, the meaning of not knowing what the phrase contains appeals to a lack of knowledge about the meaning of the entirety of our life. Even more so, about the entirety of our existence.

In this way, Socrates considered that the passage from not knowing to knowing is achieved through self-knowledge. Thus, he gave a predominant place to self-reflection.

Know yourself

Another interpretation of the famous phrase It is the kickoff to helping people see themselves. As Rubén González maintains in his book Know thyself: the word of Socrates, He himself seeks self-reflection.

This is achieved through the metaphor of birth or giving birth. Thus, Socrates helped his disciples to draw knowledge from within themselves. How did he do it? To do this, he started from some topic that the interlocutors thought they knew.

But that illusion of knowledge vanishes during the dialogue with the philosopher. Since Socrates’ questions dismantle the confidence in the supposed knowledge that one had. So, The motto of “I only know that I know nothing” begins from the recognition of one’s own ignorance.

The educational legacy of Socrates

Through his famous phrase, a change of attitude towards life and ourselves is sought. In this sense, we can consider his words as a request to break with our inherited cultural heritage, creator of our common sense.

It is the way to get out of our normality and comfort zone in which we find ourselves immersed. For this reason, it is fruitful to return to figures like Socrates, who dedicated his life to confronting the everyday life of his time.

The wealth of ignorance

Surely, we associate knowledge with knowledge obtained through a learning process. However, Socrates shows us a new way of considering the topic, quite opposite, by the way.

It is about recognizing the richness we find in ignorance. Humility in knowledge is a virtue that few dare to explore and acquire. Because of this, Socrates was the subject of dispute and controversy that led to his own death.

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