The Wise Man

Paper Summary:

In this article, the writer maintains that Plato and Descartes might find solace in the old saying, "A wise man is the man who knows that he knows nothing." Obviously, the philosophy of Plato and Descartes symbolizes a concrete reality about the nature of man - no one can know anything because no one can predict changes or whether the changes will be for the better or for the worse. However, for the sake of length and discussion, this paper examines the philosophy of Plato and Descartes in detail.

From the Paper:

"Philosophy is the study of concepts that are not concrete. Concrete knowledge is the hard truths that man faces every day. For example, if the stove is hot and one places a hand on it, one will be burned. Thus, arises concrete knowledge: the burned palm reveals the hard truths of hot and cold.
Or take, for example, the wild lion caged within an electrified fence. The lion will attempt to attack the fence, but after a good jolt of electricity shoots through his body, he will learn that the fence is bad, dangerous. He has been given concrete knowledge: his shocked and painful body has proven to him that the fence cannot be attacked in this manner."

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