Socratic Ignorance: Lifelong Teaching and Philosophical Education

This paper explores the ways Socrates defends the wholesome individual, the person who earns moral freedom through an advancing awareness, the person who aims through sustained inquiry to affirm a more comprehensive understanding of educational ethos, by liberating those spiritual philosophical and social political processes that empower lifelong teaching as learning. The pedagogical implications of Socrates’ way of life are addressed whilst the inquiry shifts into the deeper import divine ignorance comes to bear, through the related terms of aporia, eros, arête, polis, and politics. These terms mostly ascertain the manner through which the sage of antiquity grounds ‘knowledgeable ignorance,’ bequeathing transformative paideia to self, fellow citizens, and humanity at large. Briefly, the paradox of ‘virtue as knowledge’ is discussed and so are questions of the eclipse of virtue in modern education. The paper affirms that Socrates’ wisdom of ignorance ignites the fire of moral and philosophical education. He definitively revolutionizes knowledge by directly linking moral activity and arête to divine unknowing. Socratic philosophizing accentuates ‘wise ignorance’ to empower lifelong teaching as learning it unravels divine inspiration only to facilitate yet another advent of its truth in education.