[Neurons] 2008--- The Philosopher's Series # 2

[Charles DesJardins]

Charles DesJardins

 

The Philosopher's Series #2 

 

June 19, 2008

 

 

MORE THOUGHTS ABOUT SOCRATES 

AND NEURO-SEMANTICS

 

There are few trials that are so well known than those of Jesus and
Socrates. Both men were murdered for what they believed, and more so, for
what they said and did about those beliefs. This portion of the philosopher
series is about the trial of Socrates. Plato recorded the words of Socrates
at his trial, as well as recorded the actions of Socrates that followed the
trial. Socrates was put to death because of his belief. All he had to do was
recant, to leave the city-state, or to escape (for at the time of his
post-trial waiting, he had ample time to escape with his life). 

 

Why do some people act on what they believe? Have not many people down
throughout the ages, as well as those that are part of this current age,
only maintain their belief until the going gets tough? The belief
relinquishes into an idea, into a thought, into a passing fancy that no
longer drives the muscles to behavior. Can we learn from Socrates about this
steadfast belief and how this belief moved from mind to muscle?

 

First it is important to understand the charges that were railed against
him; charges for which he was condemned to die for. The Athenians brought
charges of impiety, charges that he spoke against the gods, and charges that
he was corrupting the youth. Did he do these things? Or, more importantly,
what deep beliefs did Socrates have that were so cherished that he died for
them?

 

The first key philosophy that Socrates held that is brought out in the
'Apology' (the account of his trial) was that in knowing that 'we' know
nothing. This is something that was written about last week. The citizens of
Athens, the youths of Athens, the sophists, the politicians, the merchants,
and all of Athens (all of their world) needed to know that 'we' know
nothing. We only know that which we think we know. It was such an important
part of Socrates philosophy that other people understood that 'we know
nothing.' It was so important that he was willing to die for it.

 

The second key philosophy that Socrates held that is brought out in the
'Apology' was that the improvement of the soul, through the care and love
for wisdom and truth, was the highest good that man could attain. This idea
of wisdom and truth, being the highest good for man to attain, is expanded
and deepened in the student of Socrates. Plato. 

 

Much more will be coming in future articles about how and why Plato believed
that wisdom and truth were the highest good for man to attain. We will find
this philosophy of wisdom and truth, the highest good, to be a bed-child of
Self-Actualization Psychology. Socrates believed that it is the care for the
soul, and not for the body, that is the highest good. Socrates believed that
if you care for the soul, the body will take care of itself. Malsow's
Hierarchy of Needs places the being-values, specifically labeled by Maslow
as "self-actualization", as the chief aim of human growth, a biological
drive. Self-actualization is moving beyond the needs based deficiency drives
of the body toward the being values of the being; beauty, truth, and
justice. I see a kindred spirit and common view of the nature of man in
Maslow and in Socrates.

 

The third point that Socrates brings out in his Apology is that the
Athenians were sinning against the gods by condemning him. He said he was
sent by the gods to be a gadfly, a pest, to save their souls (not in the
same sense of salvation); to show them how to care for their souls, which to
Socrates was important for the development of the individual and for the
development of the state. 

 

Abraham Maslow began his study in human motivation because of his witness of
World War II. From that study Abraham Maslow discovered that humans tend to
move along a scale of pre-potent needs, one need being filled prior to the
next need being filled. As human beings moved along this Hierarchy of Needs,
from needs that are driven by a deficiency in the organism, to needs that
are driven by desire to just be and to experience beauty, truth, justice,
full-potential of being. How many of us, with our semi-enlightened minds,
with thousands of personal and professional development tools, available at
the touch of a download, are inspired to be gadfly's to the world? Is the
soul the ultimate development? Will the development of the soul bring about
the good that Socrates wrote about? I think it is, I believe that
Neuro-Semantics teaches that it is, let's be gadflies.

 

The fourth point in the philosophy of Socrates, as given in the 'Apology',
is that virtue is knowledge. What that meant to Socrates is that 'to know
the good, is to do the good.' Socrates believed that evil and wrong doing
were the results of a lack of knowledge. Socrates believed that if a person
knew the good, they would do the good. How does that fit into
Neuro-Semantics? As if I need to ask. It starts with NLP. It is a premise of
NLP that we all seek to do that which is good. When we behave, good or bad,
we do so because we believe that it is for the good. If it turns out for the
bad, it is because of a lack of knowledge of what would bring out good.
Socrates stated that "No one does evil voluntarily." That is a premise of
NLP. 

 

In bringing this all together, Socrates sums up this deep philosophy with,
"The unexamined life is not worth living." According to Socrates, one needs
to understand human nature, theirs, and others. Neuro-Semantics digs into
human nature. Self-Actualization Psychology seeks to understand and express
human nature. Neuro-Semantics is at the heart of Self-Actualization
Psychology. The Self-Actualization quadrants of meaning and performance, as
traversed by the meaning making pragmatic applying individual only happens,
intentionally, by those who examine their lives. The three acts of the
Self-Actualization drama: Act 1: The Construct. Act 2: The Crucible. Act 3:
The Zone. The movement through each of these acts examines frames, changes
frames, establishes frames, anchors frames, and expresses frames. None of
this happens without the individual first seeking to know him or herself.
This is done through examining one's own life and through this examination,
developing one's soul; self-actualizing into full humanness, and finally,
bringing about a new nature, a new person, a new world. This was the
philosophy that Socrates died for. One gadfly, a couple of millennia ago,
and here we are, not exactly the same philosophy, but the same spirit, the
same dream for the improvement of the soul, new gadflies to a new Athens.

 

 

charles.desjardins at sbcglobal.net   If you would like to meet Charles, he
will be at the Meta-Coach Training in Colorado this July.

 

 

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://eight.pairlist.net/pipermail/neurons/attachments/20080618/b8885dfe/attachment.html>