‘Looking forward’ often sounds like a positive
outlook, yet there is a caveat to it. When one examines an idea, he should not
jump to the conclusion that the idea is not useful as it is ‘dated’ or
‘old-school’. Such a contextual reading of things can lead one to overlook some
of the most endearing wisdom of the human legacy, and often this attitude
merely represents one’s obliviousness to the origin of our thoughts. The
contributions from thinkers of Ancient Greece have been tremendous. They have
ignited the fire of Western thoughts through the work in literature,
philosophy, and science. The thinkers have also proposed to us some of the
first models of an ethical life. One of the most important ethical outlooks
from this era is Sophrosyne, widely considered as the golden rule of Ancient
Greek wisdom.
Sophrosyne (σωφροσύνη) is the noun of Sophronein (σωφρονεῖν), the verb that corresponds to the same idea. Often translated as ‘soundness of mind’ (noun) or ‘thinking well’, the concept has been interpreted by many thinkers through the Archaic Greece and Classical Greece, and continued to later eras. Sophrosyne has been transformed, and encompassed wider attributes throughout history. Despite diverse opinions added to the concept, the central theme of the word has not been altered. As an opposite to hubris, sophrosyne demands a clear and rational mind, which judges and makes decisions wisely, with regards to one’s limit. It is a form of moderation for an individual to exist in the world.
It is quite interesting to note that, while the
concept of sophrosyne has first appeared in the epic poems of Homer, later
thinkers have often ‘cherry-picked’ on various parts of the concept and made
their assessment by focusing on their particular interests of the concept. Thus
for the Pre-Socratic philosopher Heraclitus, sophrosyne was related to physis
and logos; for Socrates and his successors, the focus was on the rational
examination and analysis of the concept with regards to ethics; and for the
Stoics, the concept was used to establish one’s place in the universe. The
later thinkers stressed about the concept of sophrosyne as akin to ‘knowing
your place’ in the universe, and one’s ethical deliberations should be based on
a sound mind and rational considerations. Also the concept of measure was
associated with sophrosyne, as that provided a metric for one to weigh
different options and choose the most well-informed actions. For Socrates, he
has attempted to find an objective standard of knowledge and ethics, through
his questioning and examination of general and particular beliefs. The Sophist
Protagoras has gone even further to abandon any objective metric, and
proclaimed ‘Man is the measure of all things.’
Of all the interpretations of sophrosyne, I find
Heraclitus’s elaboration most inspiring. The Pre-Socratic thinker was one of
the most charismatic thinkers of Archaic Greece, and his thoughts were so
original that they can still be considered fascinating and contentious by
today’s standard, just like when one reads Nietzsche and Zhuang Zi. Asserting
that the universe was governed by the cosmic order known as ‘Logos’, Heraclitus
stressed the importance of sophrosyne in the famous fragment B112, a memorable advice
that deserves to be quoted below.
“Sound thinking (σωφρονεῖν) is the greatest virtue and
wisdom: to speak the truth and to act on the basis of an understanding of the
nature of things”
-Fragment B112
Thus for Heraclitus, the attribute of sophronein meant getting closer to the nature of things. Only which one embraced physis, which originated and was governed by Logos, could the individual acquire true wisdom and lived well. This statement reflected the philosopher’s opinion that the human world, which was part of the universe, was modelled after the cosmic (divine) world. For Heraclitus, true wisdom meant the realization of the fact meant that the human world, being part of nature, was in no way distinct or separate from the cosmos. The appreciation of this limit has implications of one’s ethical outlook, as one will deliberate with considerations regarding one’s nature and limitations and avoid the influence of hubris and other folly. Thinking well is the virtue of sophrosyne.
by Ed Law
Conatus Classics
