Revelation, Rationality, Knowledge & Truth — Page 96
GREEK PHILOSOPHY 'Socrates, in bringing down philosophy from the skies to the common life of men (as Cicero put it), was only carrying out in a conspicuous and earnest way one of the new intellectual tendencies of his age. •25 'He was indifferent to luxury and even to ordinary comfort; but he was by no means an ascetic. 925. As for the nature of his Divine Revelation, the author of the above-quoted article, states: 'There has been much discussion about the "divine sign” (daчµóviov) of which Socrates used to speak as a supernatural voice which frequently gave him guidance, according to Xenophon telling him to act or not to act, according to Plato only restraining him from action, never instigating. Later writers, especially in Christian times, speak of it as a daemon, genius or attendant spirit. For this there is no authority whatever in Plato and Xenophon. 6 •25 he seems to have had certain vivid presentiments which he took for special divine monitions; and it is possible, as has been suggested, that he was subject to occasional hallucinations of hearing, such as may occur even in quite sane and healthy persons. $25. Socrates' revelation is thus respectfully dismissed as hallucination. . In reality, there is no contradiction in Socrates. . Whatever contradiction there is, has to be in the mind of the author who apparently defended Socrates by suggesting that his hallucinations were not all that bad as those of psychic people suffering from from mental mental aberrations. . Hallucinations can also sometimes be experienced by sane healthy persons as in the case of Socrates. . What sympathy, what a condescending attitude to. Socrates by some modern writer who has faith in Socrates 96