In my previous report, I investigated the significance of the Greek concept of sophrosyne that Plato developed in the Charmides and I came to the conclusion that such a forgotten concept relates to the most important quality of the human soul, which is necessary to be recovered today, in order to save civilization against the oligarchical hubris of our time. Most translators have subverted the political dimension of this virtue in Plato’s dialogues and, as a result, have let sophistry take over sophrosyne’s true significance.
In this second report, I would like to emphasize the moral and epistemological dimension of sophrosyne, not only with Socrates and Plato, but also with Saint Paul and Saint Augustine. The difference between sophistry and reality is difficult to decipher because it is always easier to lie than to tell the truth; and for the same reason, it is always easier to find ways to deceive people through sophistry than to discover ways to improve their minds through sophrosyne.
