Episode 227 - To Be Understood

Many of the greatest philosophers in history were misunderstood. It makes sense – for someone to be great, they must be different from everyone else. And that often takes the form of being misunderstood. Still, it’s an interesting conundrum because clearly, they are understood in some ways. Otherwise, why even listen to them? And then there’s the question: does EVERYONE misunderstand them? And do we need to be understood, by the world or by even one person to function? In this episode, I’ll be talking about being understood and misunderstood.

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Introduction

Many of the greatest philosophers in history were misunderstood. It makes sense – for someone to be great, they must be different from everyone else. And that often takes the form of being misunderstood. Still, it’s an interesting conundrum because clearly, they are understood in some ways. Otherwise, why even listen to them? And then there’s the question: does EVERYONE misunderstand them? And do we need to be understood, by the world or by even one person to function? In this episode, I’ll be talking about being understood and misunderstood.

The philosopher’s journey is a lonely one

I did a whole episode with Dr. Sharon Lebell on the topic of the loneliness of the philosopher’s journey – and I highly recommend listening to that if you’re struggling with loneliness (i.e. if you are a human being). Part of the reason why this journey is lonely is that it’s really a journey of self-discovery.

Determining the best way to live goes hand in hand with knowing thyself. You can’t separate the two because how can you know how to live if you don’t know yourself? How can you live according to nature if you don’t know what that really means?