The Greek Use Of Thyself

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To know thyself, an individual must act within the capacities of his own actions in order to discover truths about himself and live with purpose. Greek thinkers believe to know thyself an individual must use live the examined life by using reason and inquiry in order to analyze their own actions. Judeo-Christians, on the other hand, believe that a call to know thyself is only possible through Faith. The Greek use of human reason provides the best understanding to know thyself because it emphasizes the use of an individual’s own capacity to find the mean between characteristics, act out of habit, and come to know the truths of life. The Greek’s use of human reason provides a better understanding to know thyself because it focuses on the use …show more content…

The process required in order to find the mean is a crucial part for an individual to come to know thyself. As an individual identifies whether they are naturally inclined to either an excess or deficiency of a characteristic, they better understand who they are as a person. Furthermore, as an individuals begin to adjust their behavior in search of the intermediate, they obtain a more in depth perception of themselves because they learn how to adjust and adapt the way they act. This personal deliberation encourages individuals to attain better understandings of their own characteristics, allowing them to truly get to know themselves. In comparison, the …show more content…

St Augustine asserted, “The mind needs to be enlightened by light from outside itself, so that it can participate in truth, because it is not itself the nature of truth. You will light my lamp, Lord,” (68). Augustine, similar to most Judeo-Christian thinkers, believed that in order to discover the truths of the world and therefore know thyself, an individual must first be ignited by an outside source, God. Assuming God’s existence, it does appear possible that He would have the ability to bring truth to humans, through a variety of manifestations. However, although someone who practices Faith can discover new knowledge by this method, this individual will not come to better know thyself. An individual who knows thyself is in touch with his inner thought process and is able to come to conclusions by his own means. Furthermore, participating in truths as a result of an outside entity is not a sustainable form of discovery. While this method may work in certain instances, it is impossible to determine if God will always be there to allow an individual to continue the process of enlightenment. Coming to know thyself through human inquiry, however, is completely sustainable and allows an individual to display more confidence when obtaining

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