Plato’s Wisdom Handbook

Description

Influencers . . . social media gurus . . . They come and go. Plato has been trending for the last 2,000 years. Why?

The last 170 years have seen a rapid expansion in human thought and technology. It’s strange to think there was a time when you couldn’t instantly communicate with anyone.

Man is no longer defeated by distance. Anywhere you think of going, there’s a form of transport to get you there. People enjoy greater access to prosperity, equal opportunity, and life-saving medical care. The answer to any question is just a click away.

Yet, we seem more lost than ever. The interconnectivity of modern life has left many people feeling overwhelmed.

Today, we wrestle with the consequences of information saturation. In fact, in the 2019 study “Accelerating Dynamics of Collective Attention,” scientists presented empirical evidence showcasing the escalating trend of our collective attention span’s narrowing and fragmentation. Published in Nature Communications, the study provides supporting data on how today’s modern world hurts the quality of information we consume. But beyond that, it can also lead to insights on modernity’s negative effects on our critical thinking, decision-making, and even empathy.

Greater access hasn’t always translated to material gains for many people. Worse, we appear to be more divided as a society and public distrust in today’s experts is at an all-time high. Who do we turn to for answers?

It may be that we need to see our modern problems through an ancient lens.

Greece of 380 BC looked nothing like it does today. But even then, Plato was grappling with concepts like leadership and social order. He wondered how best to cultivate qualities that make us better individuals within a society. Frameworks he developed—The Allegory of the Cave, The Republic, and Forms, to name a few—have gone on to influence Western thought for millennia.

They highlight how reason and virtue should form the basis of a well-lived life. Man had to become a thinker and critically apply the habit to every sphere of his life.