The Ancient Greeks Had It Figured Out (Or So They Thought)
amvion: Royal Stone (2023); digital mixed-media, utilizing graphics and art found on the streets of San Francisco.
Imagine a time when the solution to every personal and societal hiccup could be found in pithy maxims carved on temple walls. Enter the Seven Wise Men of ancient Greece, whose profound insights apparently solved everything from political unrest to poor crop yields with just a few well-placed words. Fast forward to today, and their ancient wisdom continues to resonate, not just in esoteric academic debates but in practical, everyday challenges—because, clearly, nothing has really changed since 600 BCE.
Solon of Athens wasn’t just a lawgiver; he was the original self-help guru who advocated "Nothing in excess." Today, his call for moderation echoes in the hollowed halls of corporate offices where overzealous managers might benefit from dialing back the caffeine and unrealistic project deadlines. Solon's teachings remind us that less is often more, except, of course, when it comes to vacation days and salary increments.
Chilon of Sparta gave us the introspective gem, "Know thyself." This maxim is a lifeline in the ocean of modern identity crises, offering solace to those crafting their umpteenth self-improvement resolution or contemplating a bold career shift. Chilon’s advice is a cornerstone for authenticity, often prompting moments of self-realization that yes, perhaps one is indeed more suited to yoga than yodeling.
Then there’s Thales of Miletus, who warned, "To bring surety brings ruin." His skepticism of certainty is a refreshing slap in the face for the modern-day control freaks. Entrepreneurs and stock market enthusiasts, bewitched by predictive algorithms, might find Thales' viewpoint a comforting excuse when their calculated risks turn into the next big financial facepalm.
Bias of Priene perhaps attended too many pessimistic philosophy lectures, since he concluded "Most men are bad." In the context of modern networking, this could serve as a cautionary note not to add every random acquaintance to one’s LinkedIn network, lest they turn out to be less a professional contact and more a professional con.
Cleobulus of Lindos, with his call for "Moderation is the best thing," could be the unrecognized patron of work-life balance. His philosophy is a gentle reminder in today’s hustle culture that endlessly grinding might lead to success, or just as likely, to grinding one’s gears down to a nub.
Pittacus of Mytilene’s "Know your opportunity" is practically the ancient precursor to modern marketing strategies. It’s a handy reminder to the social media savvy: time your posts when your audience is most likely scrolling, not when they’re likely sleeping.
Lastly, Periander of Corinth and his "Forethought in all things" sounds like advice you’d reluctantly nod along to at a financial planning seminar, realizing that perhaps those impulse buys at the checkout line were ill-considered.
The Seven Wise Men might have walked the streets of ancient city-states, but their advice traverses through time, offering a satirical yet strikingly relevant blueprint for navigating the complexities of modern life. Their blend of pragmatism and foresight invites us to reflect on how we manage our personal and professional lives, proving that perhaps, just maybe, those ancient Greeks really did have it all figured out.
Footnotes
Diogenes Laërtius, who was an Ancient Greek historian, notes significant discrepancies among his sources regarding which individuals should be considered among the seven sages. Commonly, Periander of Corinth or Anacharsis the Scythian replaced Myson. In Diogenes' initial list, introduced as "These men are acknowledged wise," Periander is included instead of Myson; Ausonius also makes this substitution in The Masque of the Seven Sages. Both Ephorus and Plutarch, in his Banquet of the Seven Sages, opted for Anacharsis over Myson. Laërtius adds that Dicaearchus listed ten potential sages, Hippobotus proposed twelve, and Hermippus compiled seventeen, allowing for various selections of seven. Leslie Kurke suggests that "Aesop was a popular choice for inclusion"; indeed, a 6th-century CE epigram by poet Agathias mentions a statue of the Seven Sages, with Aesop depicted standing before them.
What does it mean to know thyself? “Plato has Socrates give his interpretation of the precept [to know thyself] (128E-135E), he raises the question of what the self is that we are advised to know. Since that self must be what the human person as a whole is in essence, it must be different from the body: ‘So the human being is an entity different from his own body.’ The question is, of course, ‘Then what is the human being?’ Socrates answers: ‘The soul is the human being.’ Consequently, knowledge of the self is knowledge of the soul: ‘Then the god who instructs us to know ourselves orders us to know the soul.’ This definition will furthermore affect the concept of self-control: self-control that comes from the knowledge of the soul will cause a person to devote his attention to the ‘care for one’s soul’ instead of to external matters.” Betz, Hans Dieter. "The Delphic Maxim 'Know Yourself' in the Greek Magical Papyri." History of Religions, vol. 21, no. 2, Nov. 1981, pp. 156-171.
“Socrates then applies this insight to the problem of the knowledge of the soul: ‘...if a soul is to know itself it must look into a soul, and especially into that area of it in which occurs the virtue of the soul, wisdom....’ This part which houses ‘insight and thought’ is its most divine. Since it resembles the deity, ‘anyone looking into this part and knowing all that is divine, the deity as well as thinking, thus may also, in the best possible way, know himself.’” Betz, Hans Dieter. "The Delphic Maxim 'Know Yourself' in the Greek Magical Papyri." History of Religions, vol. 21, no. 2, Nov. 1981, pp. 156-171.
“There can be no denial of the fact that the number, seven, was deliberately determined by that of the wise men who were much discussed at Athens in the fourth century. Plato gave the names of the seven: Thales, Pittacus, Bias, Solon, Cleobulus, Myson and Cheilon. Other lists introduced other names. There was a tradition current in the days of Diogenes Laertius that the tyrant Pisistratus was one of the seven sages. Ephorus, the historian, an older contemporary of Demetrius Phalereus, represented Croesus as holding an assembly of the seven sages at his court which is to be compared with Plutarch’s symposium of seven wise men at the court of the Corinthian Periander, another tyrant who was listed as one of the seven. But the most significant evidence of Athenian interest in the sages is that Demetrius Phalereus, who published a collection of the saying of the seven wise men as is attested by Stobaeus. The same ruler definitely constituted the college of seven which before his time was variously composed as Bohren has shown. The Demetrian edition of the sayings of the sages was a source for Greek and Latin authors.” Elderkin, G. W. "Two Mosaics Representing the Seven Wise Men." American Journal of Archaeology, vol. 39, no. 1, Jan.-Mar. 1935, pp. 92-111.
