Wednesday Wisdom

“Don’t count your chickens before they are hatched”, we have all heard that phrase. “They are killing the goose who laid golden eggs” or “He is a wolf in sheep’s clothing”, again more phrases that are so common to everyone, we most likely take that wisdom for granted. These words of wisdom are imbedded into our culture and lexicon, yet we never stop to think where this sage advice came from.

Aesop was a legendary Greek storyteller and fabulist believed to have lived in ancient Greece between 620 and 564 BCE. Tradition says he was born into slavery in Samos, an island off of modern-day Turkey. He was grotesque looking and passed around until a philosopher named Xanthus purchased him because of his wit, stating I judge a man by his mind not his body. It was said Aesop could solve any riddle or conundrum and he was often consulted by kings and philosophers. His wit was sardonic and biting which eventually got him killed when offended the Oracle of Delphi and their god Appollo.

He is traditionally credited with a collection of fables known as Aesop's Fables. These 284 short stories often feature animals and inanimate objects that are personified, and they typically convey moral lessons or practical wisdom. There is no written historical piece of evidence of his being or of his fables while he was alive, and the stories were passed on in storytelling. The first written word of his was by Herodotus and Plato in the 4th century BC.

Aesop's influence on Greek wisdom and literature is undeniable, even if he is not formally counted among the Seven Sages, who were the earliest Greek philosophers. These included Thales of Miletus, philosopher, mathematician, and astronomer, considered one of the first to explain natural phenomena without resorting to mythology and whose famous maxim was "Know thyself." Solon of Athens was a statesman and lawmaker who enacted political and economic reforms in Athens, laying the foundation for Athenian democracy, his famous maxim is "Nothing in excess." Chilon of Sparta, Bias of Priene, Pittacus of Mytilene, Cleobulus of Lindos and Periander of Corininth were the other philosophers of the Seven Sages. Aesop was often with these philosophers to entertain them with his fables or to solve riddles.

His fables are known as children's stories which teach moral lessons through animal characters. However, his fables had a lasting impact on Western literature and continue to be taught and retold around the world.

“Sour grapes”, we get that phrase from the fable The Fox and the Grapes. In this story, the fox, unable to stand to get the grapes, gripes I thought they were ripe, but they are just sour. The Boy who cried wolf, teaches us the lesson that liars won’t be believed even when telling the truth and that honesty is the best policy. The Ant and the Grasshopper tells the story of a hardworking ant who stores food for winter, while a carefree grasshopper plays all summer. When winter comes, the grasshopper begs for food, but the ant refuses, the moral, "Prepare today for the needs of tomorrow." In the fable The Crow and the Pitcher, a thirsty crow finds a pitcher with a little water at the bottom. Unable to reach the water with its beak, the crow uses its cleverness. It picks up small pebbles and drops them into the pitcher one by one. The water gradually rises, and the crow is able to drink, the moral; "Necessity is the mother of invention." The US Marines have a saying, “slow is smooth and smooth is fast” which reminiscent of Aesop’s famous fable of The Tortoise and the Hare, were tortoise beats the speedy hare by being slow and deliberate in a race.

Aesop’s Fables give timeless and universal lessons, practical wisdom for everyday life and a gateway to ethics and philosophy. Often perceived as a children’s book, Aesop’s Fables deserves recognition for its profound cultural significance and as an important philosophical work.

And now you know:

Thank you, Dad, for the gift of curiosity.

Philosophy is the art of thinking, the building block of progress that shapes critical thinking across economics, ethics, religion, and science.

METAPHYSICS: Literally, the term metaphysics means ‘beyond the physical.’ Typically, this is the branch that most people think of when they picture philosophy. In metaphysics, the goal is to answer what and how questions in life. Who are we, and what are time and space?

LOGIC: The study of reasoning. Much like metaphysics, understanding logic helps to understand and appreciate how we perceive the rest of our world. More than that, it provides a foundation for which to build and interpret arguments and analyses.

ETHICS: The study of morality, right and wrong, good and evil. Ethics tackles difficult conversations by adding weight to actions and decisions. Politics takes ethics to a larger scale, applying it to a group (or groups) of people. Political philosophers study political governments, laws, justice, authority, rights, liberty, ethics, and much more.

AESTHETICS: What is beautiful? Philosophers try to understand, qualify, and quantify what makes art what it is. Aesthetics also takes a deeper look at the artwork itself, trying to understand the meaning behind it, both art as a whole and art on an individual level. A question an aesthetics philosopher would seek to address is whether or not beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder.

EPISTEMOLOGY: This is the study and understanding of knowledge. The main question is how do we know? We can question the limitations of logic, how comprehension works, and the ability (or perception) to be certain.