The Importance Of Self-Knowledge Is A Virtue

Self-knowledge is to know oneself. An aspiration to genuine self-knowledge is an important thing for Socrates, Saint Augustine, and Hayy Ibn Yaqzan. They lived in the different situations and in the different time. For example, Socrates and Saint Augustine lived in the fourth century BC. However, Ibn Tufayl wrote about Hayy Ibn Yaqzan in the twelfth century. They could find answers to their own questions. Despite that they lived long years ago, People remember them as wise philosophers. Although they did not live at the same time, they realized that the physical world is an illusion, gaining self-knowledge is a truth, and self-knowledge is a virtue.

Firstly, Socrates, Saint Augustine, and Hayy Ibn Yaqzan see that their world is deceptive. They

St.Augustine makes these things because he does not believe in the God. Saint Augustine enjoys his life and does not fear the God. After long process of committing sins, when Saint Augustine learns different books, he sees a one book. The one book names Cicero which changes St.Augustine’s life. Later, He accepts the religion of Christianity. Thence, Saint Augustine begins to realize that his actions mentioned above are improper. As committing sins are to damage people. Moreover, Saint Augustine said that “For I sought for you, my God (I confess to you who took pity on me even when I did not yet confess).” (p.33). It means that when Saint Augustine realizes his mistakes, he understands that everything that is in this world is created by the God. Furthermore, Saint Augustine understands that he need to beg pardons of his sins, and he follows only to the God after realizing his incorrect actions. In other words, Saint Augustine wants to be closer to the God in order to see almighty the God because He could not imagine how is the

Saint Augustine loves the God, and he considers that the God is gracious. As graciousness is to help and to absolve others. It means that the God is the virtue. Moreover, Socrates finds himself through the God, it means that self-knowledge is the virtue. Nevertheless, Hayy Ibn Yaqzan’s explaining about the virtue of self-knowledge is another in comparison to Socrates and Saint Augustine. Asal of his friend helped Hayy knows himself. His friend teaches him about person’s life and Islamic religion. Hayy accepts Islam because it was truth for him. Moreover, this truth helps him to help others, it means that virtue is self-knowledge. In other words, if Hayy did not meet his friend of Asal, he would not accept Islam. Thus, Hayy would not help others, and it has a possibility that he would damage others. However, despite that their explanations about the virtue of self-knowledge are different. There is a similar explanation. For example, if Socrates, Saint Augustine, Hayy Ibn Yaqzan believes in God, then it means that they should make only good acts. This is why they all made good things such as helping people. Consequently, they made both different things and similar