Socrates

Originally posted by FMF
No it was always me. FMF is not my real name, whodey. And I've used a couple of others. On each occasion I told most of my regular interlocutors about it in PMs. Not you, it seems.

Why the deception for those not in the know?

Originally posted by FMF
Huh? Why would I have no clue what the word piety means?

It's a reference to Plato's Euthyphro in which Socrates questions Euthyphro, who thought himself pious, about what piety is. Euthyphro started with something along the lines of "To do what is pleasing to the gods.". Socrates pointed out that the gods all wanted different things and so to do what is pleasing to one god could be displeasing to another which would leave an action both pious and impious at the same time, thereby showing Euthyphro's definition of piety as being no good. They went on in this manner for a while, with Euthyphro offering a definition and Socrates showing that it led to a contradiction, until Euthyphro was forced to concede that he did not know what piety was (although I've got to concede the above argument fails in the face of monotheism).

The point Socrates is making with "I know one thing that I know nothing." is an overstatement of the idea that one can easily deceive oneself with one's own prejudices (in the more general sense of the word). It's got the same content as: "Are my beliefs true? As what I think I know could turn out to be a collection of mistaken beliefs.". The point being to make a student aware of the potential for errors in their own thinking stemming from pre-conceived ideas (at least that's what Guthrie thought Socrates intended). He went about doing this to the citizens of Athens until they became bored of it and made him drink some hemlock.

Originally posted by DeepThought
The point Socrates is making with "I know one thing that I know nothing." is an overstatement of the idea that one can easily deceive oneself with one's own prejudices (in the more general sense of the word).

I know it's an overstatement. It's like a parody of fortune cookie wisdom.

Originally posted by whodey
Why the deception for those not in the know?

For fun.

Originally posted by FMF
For fun.

For the lulz.

Originally posted by FMF
For fun.

You lie!

Originally posted by FMF
For fun.

Lying is fun?

Originally posted by whodey
Lying is fun?

It is for FMF because he's not funny. Even his smile is meant to deceive. 😉

Originally posted by whodey
Lying is fun?

Is calling myself "FMF" a "lie"?

Originally posted by FMF
Is calling myself "FMF" a "lie"?

But you said lying is fun. Is lying fun is the question asked of you.

Who cares what you call yourself. 😉

Originally posted by josephw
But you said lying is fun. Is lying fun is the question asked of you.

Who cares what you call yourself. 😉

Exactly, who cares what I call myself? What is the lie? I use the screen name "FMF". It isn't my real name and yet it isn't a lie to use it. I agree with you: who cares what I call yourself?

Originally posted by whodey
I am a huge fan of the philosopher Socrates. Every time I read his writings, it seems as though he is referencing the Bible, especially the NT which was written hundreds of years after his death.

Here are some examples.

"One who is injured ought not to return the injury, for on no account can it be right to do an injustice; and it is not right to retur ...[text shortened]... actions; but those who kindly reprove thy faults. A life without criticism is not worth living"

Most of what we call Soc was actually Plato. He also could have run out of Athens when the charges were brought up but he stayed because he believed in the law and to be seen as running away would have been to lose his way so he stayed and drank the hemlock.

There are also a lot of contradictions about Soc mostly written by Plato but by others as well, the one thing they agreed on was this: He was ugly. And he was brilliant. He did not believe in writing things down because he wanted his students to listen to his words not just read them a hundred years later so there is nothing written by Soc. Plato was really pisssed when Soc was executed though.

Originally posted by sonhouse
Most of what we call Soc was actually Plato. He also could have run out of Athens when the charges were brought up but he stayed because he believed in the law and to be seen as running away would have been to lose his way so he stayed and drank the hemlock.

There are also a lot of contradictions about Soc mostly written by Plato but by others as well, ...[text shortened]... later so there is nothing written by Soc. Plato was really pisssed when Soc was executed though.

Apparently Jesus had a similar thought process. He let other people write about him.

And I think this perhaps the most wise approach of all. After all, anyone can sit down and write about themselves, but what is believed the most? Is it someone writing about themselves or others writing about them? For me, a witness testimony holds more water.

Originally posted by whodey
And I think this perhaps the most wise approach of all. After all, anyone can sit down and write about themselves, but what is believed the most? Is it someone writing about themselves or others writing about them? For me, a witness testimony holds more water.

How many Gospels were written by witnesses but were rejected? Why were the Gospels that were selected written decades after Jesus' death by people who were not eye witnesses?

Originally posted by FMF
How many Gospels were written by witnesses but were rejected? Why were the Gospels that were selected written decades after Jesus' death by people who were not eye witnesses?

That's for God to know and you to find out.

But why do you ask? You've already stated many times the whole business is a myth. You're just being pretentious now.