Socrates, Kierkegaard and existentialism

Kierkegaard derived much of his inspiration from the discussions of Athenian Socrates, ostensibly recorded by Plato. The general mechanism Kierkegaard used was Socratic irony: Socrates overstates, understates, misstates, poeticizes, mythologizes. The classical example of Socrates’ irony is the assertion of his own ignorance.

When informed the oracle at Delphi called Socrates the wisest man in Athens, Socrates claimed to be stunned. How could he be the wisest man in Athens if he knew nothing? However, upon consideration, Socrates concluded he was indeed the wiser than any other, though he knew nothing, he knew that he knew nothing.

It was in this way, according to Kierkegaard, Socrates "approached each person individually, deprived him of everything, and sent him away empty handed." Thus what Socrates taught had no objective content and Socrates, himself, became the negative condition, thereby learning something about themselves. Kierkegaard wrote his Master's thesis on Socrates -- he called it The Concept of Irony.

Socrates’ claim of ignorance was used, of course, to undermine the arrogant pretense to knowledge by his opponents. His irony could be devastating. For example, by the middle of one of the Platonic dialogues, Alcibiades concedes tearfully. Alcibiades asks, “Socrates, what have you done to me? I am no longer myself.”