Γνωθι σαυτόν: the deep inquiry

“Γνωθι σαυτόν”, this is “know yourself” is a imperative that was carved on the doors of temple of Apollo, and after it is took from Socrates, Karl Raimund Popper(1902-1994) described this phrase through a motive that is openable, he said: “This phrase that every mentions but nobody knows the meaning, it is that you must know your limits”, it is alone an opinion of Popper that is easily deniable, why? Because the deep meaning of the phrase on the doors of temple is: you must know if you want sacrifice of prayer Apollo, but it alone you can know, hence you must make one inquiry in yourself before of enter; for Socrates this phrase is similar or mirror like to the mot of Socrates and it is mirror like to meaning, because Socrates press for his “pupils”, although he didn’t considered herself a master, to make same thing, know yourself, but not for the religion but alone to philosophy, he never said it but it is as he have made: “You must know before yourself, in deeply of your wit, know your strong and your weakness, what are the motive that you have for an opinion, and after you are going justify your opinion, that is or personal motive, today we could say psychologic, it is the deep meaning of “Γνωθι σαυτόν”; Socrates could not consider the psychology because then there isn’t, but he said it; if your philosophical opinion is alone a psychological reaction, inasmuch alone momentary or you are convinced of this opinion, because you, that are convinced, can demonstrate the rightness of this opinion, but through the rational arguments, otherwise Socrates, that is a turd and a pain on the neck will ask to you because it is so, and he is going to want because it is so; but he is going to want know yourself in deep, and so he is going to justify your opinion, but he instead of say and tell his theories, he ask; this exercise is contrary to common teaching then was very much common, this is to tell the theories and without the explication, Socrates aske the explication to “pupil” because he wanted know the deep causes for an theory, hit is as he have said to “pupil”, you must know because this theory is valid for you, it is important, not alone the rationality and hence the rightness of your theory, that is going to be after, because the first is to know yourself, this is your think and the causes of every your think. Socrates is the anthropological period of philosophy, he wanted study the man and not the theory, and he turned this solicitation first to his “pupils”, because the object of study of Socrates isn’t the philosophy but the mankind, that after of Socrates it must study herself, and understand if he want become the philosopher or not, if he want know or not, and what he wanted truly; but it is he is going to know alone through an inquiry in herself, it is the meaning of this phrase. It is very easy understand because we must know before the historical context: then every idler or was a hero or philosopher, and the philosophers gained much because they sold his knowledge or presumed so, and they explained theories often purely imaginary, but they spoke about everything except the man, Socrates contrary to this method consider alone the man, and he pressed for to know the matter more difficult, this is herself.   

Alessandro Lusana