🏛️ Philosophy and Famous Quotes
How can a trader benefit from philosophy? To become a great trader, you must first become a great person—and philosophy can guide you there. Take a moment to read these quotes.
🔱 Socrates {469-399 BC} “What Defines an Educated Man”
Socrates was a classical Athenian philosopher, credited as the first moral philosopher and one of the founders of Western philosophy.
When Socrates was once asked to define an educated man, he did not mention the accumulation of knowledge. Instead, he defined the educated man as:
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One who can control unpleasant situations rather than be controlled by them.
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One who faces all situations in life with courage and logic.
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One who is honest in all his dealings.
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One who faces unpleasant people with goodwill.
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One who can control his desires.
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One who is not defeated by mishaps and failures.
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One who is not consumed by success and glory.
🏺 A Few more words about Socrates
Socrates lived in a time when people worshiped many gods, but he believed in only one. Because of this belief and his teachings, he was sentenced to death. However, under Ancient Athenian democracy, executions were strictly forbidden to be carried out by others; convicts had to carry out their own death penalty. Those who wished to live had to leave the city permanently. Socrates’ students even arranged an escape plan to help him leave Athens safely, but he refused to flee. He said plainly, “How will people ever listen to me again if I don’t stand by my own words and ideas?” For this reason, he chose to drink the poison provided by the state and accept his sentence. He became an example of a man who lived—and died—to uphold his principles.
💬 Some more quotes from Socrates:
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True knowledge lies in knowing that you know nothing.
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False words (lies) are not only evil in themselves but also corrupt the soul.
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Our prayers should seek blessings in general, for only God knows what is truly good for us.
👉 Note: The principal sources of information on Socrates are the writings of Plato and Xenophon, as well as Aristophanes’ play Clouds
📜 The Triple Filter Test of Socrates {The origin of this concept appears to be primarily anecdotal}
One day, when the ancient philosopher Socrates was visiting the Acropolis, he met an acquaintance who said, “I have something important to tell you about one of your students.”
Socrates replied that before hearing him out, he would first put him to the Triple Test.
“The Triple Test?” the man asked in surprise.
“Yes,” Socrates said. “Before you tell me what you heard about my student, I want to pause for a moment and filter what you are about to say.”
“Okay,” the man agreed.
“The first filter is Truth,” Socrates said, then asked, “Are you absolutely sure that what you’re about to tell me is true?”
“…Not exactly, I just heard it, but…” the man hesitated.
“So, you have no idea whether what you’re about to tell me is true or false,” Socrates observed.
“Let us now try the second filter—Kindness,” Socrates continued, then asked, “Is what you’re about to say about my student something good?”
“Good? Probably the opposite,” the man admitted.
“So, you want to say something bad about one of my students, even though you’re not sure it’s true?” Socrates asked.
The man felt shame and embarrassment.
“Nevertheless,” Socrates said, “you can still pass the test because there is a third filter.”
“The third filter is Utility.”
“Is what you’re about to say about my student something useful?” Socrates asked.
“No, I don’t think so,” the man replied.
“Then, after all, you want to tell me something about my student that is neither good nor useful, and probably not even true. Why should I listen to it?”
With that, Socrates ended the conversation and walked away without hearing more.
🗿 The Great Philosophical Sequence that Started with Socrates and Ended with Aristotle and Alexander the Great
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Socrates (teacher) → Plato (student)
Socrates had many students, among whom the famous philosopher Plato stands out. Plato founded one of the major philosophical movements of all time: Platonic Idealism. For Plato, Ideas come first, and then the Material World follows. He also had a great passion for Geometry, famously writing outside his Academy, “If you don’t know Geometry, do not enter my Academy.” Modern academies are named after Plato’s Academy.
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Plato (teacher) → Aristotle (student)
One of Plato’s students was Aristotle, one of the greatest minds of the ancient world—and perhaps of all time. Aristotle was more of a scientist than a philosopher, obsessively writing on a vast range of subjects. It was as if he were trying to build the Internet of ancient times single-handedly. His massive collection of scientific writings includes Physics, Biology, Zoology, Oceanography, and Metaphysics. He also wrote extensively about Logic, Ethics, Poetry, Theater, Politics, and Government. Only about one-third of his work survives today.
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Aristotle (teacher) → Alexander the Great (student)
This great chain from teacher to student ends with one of Aristotle’s students, the famous ancient general Alexander the Great.
👉 Note: Interestingly, Aristotle defined God in a way similar to Einstein’s Theory of Relativity. According to Aristotle, the concept of Time exists because the Material World is constantly changing. He argued that there was a single moment in history—the beginning of the world—when the Material World was unchanging, and thus Time did not exist. Aristotle said that God is the energy that set the Material World in motion, and this motion started Time. In Aristotle’s view, God is like Motion itself. He founded the philosophical movement of Pragmatism, which, in contrast to Platonic Idealism, holds that the Material World comes first, followed by the world of Ideas.
■ Socrates' Famous Quotes
George P. for TradingCenter.org (c)
📖 Sources:
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socrates
- https://owis.org/sg/blog/student-inspired-learning-the-socratic-approach/
- The principal sources of information on Socrates are the writings of Plato and Xenophon, as well as Aristophanes’ play Clouds
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