Please pretend that it is the end of November and not the first day of December. As usual, please forgive my ignorance, my inconsistent style, and my fondness for parenthetical asides.
As one would expect, these selections from the works of Xenophon (Memorabilia book IV) are primarily a discussion of virtue - what leads men to it, and away from it. Through Xenophon, Socrates gives us the building blocks of a natural morality, based on humility, education, and wise judgment. The selection begins with Socrates reminding us that those most gifted are both those most in need of a good education, and those most resistant to it: "'Only a fool' he said, 'can think it possible to distinguish between things useful and things harmful without learning: only a fool can think that without distinguishing these he will get all he wants by means of his wealth and be able to do what is expedient: only a simpleton can think that without the power to do what is expedient he is doing well and has made good or sufficient provision for his life: only a simpleton can think that by his wealth alone and without knowledge he will be reputed good at something, or will enjoy a good reputation without being reputed good at anything in particular'" (TGT 30). (We all could name plenty of people who are famous for being famous, but could you claim that any one of them has a "good reputation?")
Pride, helped along by material possession or false self-knowledge (I'm so great!) leads one to be less effective in reaching any goal worth fighting for - namely, attaining virtue and living in a virtuous society. When addressing the intellectual pride of a rising politician by the name of Euthydemus, Socrates tells the others: "'I fancy he has prepared a noble exordium to his addresses, with due care not to give the impression that he is indebted to anyone for his knowledge'" (TGT 31). Originality seems so much bolder, so much smarter, than admitting to or relying on one's predecessors. Yet we would not put up with this attitude in craftsmen, or doctors, so why should we accept it from politicians.
Later on, Socrates meets with Euthydemus alone and tries to show him more specifically what keeps intelligent men from attaining virtue, or acting correctly. He starts on firm footing, by congratulating Euthy (yes, that makes him sound like an anime character, but it saves me some typing) for investing in so many books, saying: "'while gold and silver cannot make men better, the thoughts of the wise enrich their possessors with virtue'" (TGT 31). And virtue, of course, is the problem. When Socrates and Euthy try to organize actions into "just" and "unjust" columns, it becomes clear that correct action is very difficult, and depends much on circumstances and intention. It isn't enough to own the right books, or know them by heart, knowledge must resolve itself into action, which is always the tricky part.
From this demonstration of man's limitations in judgment, we move directly into the oh-so-famous "know thyself" section. As Maddie pointed out, this is a phrase that is itself entirely emptied of virtue in modern life. Having self knowledge does not mean recognizing some great limitless potential for super-awesomeness in everything (I'm a rock star! I'm a goddess!) bur rather, it is the much, much less glamorous process of recognizing one's limitations. We expect to know things (everything?) already, because pride tells us we are a rockstargoddessherogenius of epic proportions. Ironically, it is only when that "belief" is challenged and we are forced to really grow and learn that we become powerful in any real sense. Education is a painful process because it challenges smug self-satisfaction and laziness. This can all sound pretty trite and basic, but we ought to keep saying it because clearly humanity has needed to hear it for an awfully long time.
There is also a really fantastic discussion of "the people" and "popular government" at the end of the selection that points out another thing that we seem to have forgotten *cough*OWS*cough*. That is: "some who have very little not only find it enough, but even manage to save out of it, whereas others cannot live within their means, however large'" (TGT 37). Greed and weakness are everywhere, regardless of social standing, as is virtue.
On the whole, I find Xenophon's Socrates much more readable than Plato's. Xenophon makes Socrates sound much more relatable and (in what might be a trick of translations) much more enjoyable to be around.
Next up: Isocrates. Then Aristotle! yay! (no, that is not sarcastic, I like Aristotle. And by "like" I mostly mean "I understand/agree with him well enough to be capable of bringing him up in casual or semi-casual conversation without sounding like a complete moron" which should probably not be my primary criterion... Does that count as knowledge of my weaknesses, or the pursuit of knowledge as status? Blah)
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