Can one consider Socrates to be a jnana yogi?
One of his disciples asks the question of what the goal of life is for Socrates. It is to rise through the means of the intellect to attain realization of the absolute good. Srila Prabhupada answered that Socrates was a great thinker also stating that such a great soul is one of a kind. The disciple asks if someone like Socrates who is a jnanavan or wise man will in the end surrender to Krishna? For Socrates Zues was the king of gods. The concept is the same. It is certain Socrates had a similar resolve to his idea of the source of all creation.
Aristotle begins in Nicomachean Ethics mentioning the overall good. Taking action can be or is in his terms a good attribute for a man. Action contributes to the overall good if it is done in a productive way. For example, building a boat or tending to farm feilds. Building a boat adds another ship to the fleet. Tending to farm feilds provides produce for the well being of the townspeople. There is a cost for the produce. It must be paid for. The farmer must be rewarded for his work. People are discouraged from stealing. This does not make reference to work ethic. Someone who is active or contributing in some way to others is held at a high level of virtue. When meeting an end, the means for that end, can be weighed based on the action that was taken for oneself of for ones nation. Aristotle said it was finer to meet ones end in service of the state, rather than for ones own personal ambition. The overall well being of mankind is something greater and more complete. Acting in accordance with rational principle knowledge is in some sense doing the right thing in given situations. The question that arises is, how is rational defined? Some men are consumed by their senses, thinking about their well being alone, or thinking about whatever makes them feel good. Those of higher intellect seek out political thought or live a contemplative life. Aristotle does stress the value of knowledge as a measure of a man. A good can be an accomplishment or the completion of a project. Winning a battle is an accomplishment. The work that goes into the construction of a building can be viewed as the good that completed it. The good in that case being the time the builders put into the work.
There is a correlation between the comments of Prabhupada regarding Socrates and how Aristotle makes reference to the overall good. The well being of mankind and the transcendence of the soul are linked. From the perspective that we assume the spirit soul is real, we link what man does on this Earth to the well being of the soul. From a material standpoint we can observe the actions we as men take in relation to what happens around us. In plain terms good karma is good work. That tells us to take action in some good form whenever possible.
Nicomachean Ethics breaks the world down to what it is. It does not claim to be an explanation of how things should be. The book in some aspects describes the chaos the world of men is in. Aristotle makes suggestions, except each suggestion is weighed against the opposite. Perhaps the death of Socrates effected Aristotles pen. 'quotes'... "virtuous actions are noble and done for the sake of the noble"... also "the liberal man like other virtuous men, will give for the sake of the noble" Aristotle.
A liberal man spends on the right things. In some sense that tells us that a liberal man will make the right moves, speak to the right people, or all in all do the right thing. In some aspect or another most men are flawed to some extent. A man who claims what is in accordance with his merits is respected for it. Those who make false claims are denied respect. In the commercial fishing business it is crucial to catch the largest number of fish possible, right? For a farmer it is important to get a high yeild out of a crop. Lobtermen set gear near structure where lobster like to hide. Lets assume merit is based on the mean of the average number of lobster caught, compared to what is brought in. How does moderate success gain more merit than outstanding success? Is moderate harvest of fish wiser, so to speak than seeking to take too much at one time. Can the resource be overfished? What Aristotle is talking about is character.
Pride is something that is based on a mans veiw of his own status. A proud man of the highest status must be good in order to maintain his place in life. Aristotle stresses moderation in wealth, power, level of pride, and in fact ambition as well. Aristotle explains how a proud man who avoids danger most of the time will face great dangers. Courage in the face of danger is what sets men apart. There must be a balance of how one takes shelter with the number of risks taken. The moderate or more temperate man understands, and takes the middle road. Philosophical thought has few boundries. How is it certain people are rewarded for their work when at the same time there are those who are exploited? Does the person who gets exploited work as well as the person who is rewarded in a fair sense? How can we sure that the exploited worker is held to the same standard as the satisfied worker? How are ethics upheld? It is important to fight for what is right. First we need to figure out what right is. Who is to tell us what to look upon as negative or what to get excited about. In order to do this we must use common sense.
Knowledge is learned over time. Aristotle seems to tell the reader to step back from material attachments as does Srila Prabhupada in his purports. Free from attachments man can attain a higher level of thought. Socrates was mentioned as being a modest man who had a good understanding of things.
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