About Us

Primum facere, deinde philosophari

Sokratiko LogoLiving is making choices. And we believe that ‘living’ is, also, a CHOICE between ‘blind’ conventional lifestyles and ‘open-eyed’ more conscious forms of existence. Indeed, human FREEDOM allows us to plump for one of the two options.

FREEDOM FROM BANALITIES

Possibly we are just deluding ourselves, but we like the second alternative. In fact, we try and follow the tenets of ancient Stoicism, Cynicism and Epicureanism. Those philosophical ways ‘of living’ (not just ‘of thinking’) were famous for refusing common appetites (wealth, power, fame). As a consequence, we too pursue the dismissal of money, positions and popularity. To be exact, what we would like to eradicate from our lives are not banknotes, high-ranking roles and popularity. We would love to remove the obsessive cravings for those assets. We do not dislike the benefits deriving from a philosophical approach to affluence, authority and audience. Hence, we promote a deeper and wider sensibleness about the difference between using the money (the force, the fame) and being used by the money (the force, the fame).

BEING AWARE

A life of awareness should also take into account mockeries and accusations of naiveté. Not for nothing, indifference is among our pillars, along with self-motivation, tireless thinking and lucidity. These conditions are targets (very difficult ones) not at all certainties. As a matter of fact, ‘awareness’ is one requirement of a more extensive and laborious process. Therefore, consciousness is relevant insofar as it leads to the repudiation of falseness, deception and superficiality.

A wider and deeper ‘understanding‘ of the world, comes with a price. In fact, alertness and presence of mind require SCRUPULOUSNESS, an exhausting TRAINING and the abandonment of advantages. For instance, it is inevitable to leave behind the cosy feeling of self-protection deriving from an unconscious, offhand life. Indeed, ‘not following the herd’ (the moltitude) is frequent cause of uncertainty and instability.

A CHANGE IS GONNA COME

In Sam Cooke‘s 1964 song “A change is gonna come” (see the SONGS section of this site) we hear the words <It’s been too hard living, but I’m afraid to die / ‘Cause I don’t know what’s up there, beyond the sky / It’s been a long, a long time coming / But I know a change gonna come, oh yes it will>. It is important never to be afraid of changes. When transformation is the chance to get rid of wrong habits and dangerous constrictions, it should be welcome. Living is making choices. And choosing implies picking up some options among many other possibilities.

CONFORMITY IS NOT A VALUE

One of our points is this: conformity is not a real advantage. Actually, it is more likely to be a defect. So, we fear the risk of wasting life away in exchange for some security. However, we are not at all fascinated by ‘rashness‘ or ‘temerity‘. We simply try and make choices according to some clear assumptions. Having said that, we Sokratiko people do not consider our ideas as ‘absolute truths’. If anything, we value those ideas as ‘solid and trustworthy opinions‘.

Living is making choices.

In the course of life, we learn everything, from driving cars to taking the right medicines. Yet, we never reach an acceptable degree of self-awareness. We are talking of a ‘presence of mind’ which would make possible a simpler and more mature existence. In such a deficient condition (lack of self-knowledge) we have the task – and the duty – of working on ourselves. And that is a work (starting with SOUL-SEARCHING) in need of perseverance. Its goals are a satisfactory understanding of our true nature and the regaining of a reasonable level of SELF-CONTROL on our decisions.

PLEASE FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS

The actions related to GNOTHI SEAUTON (know thyself) and EPIMELEIA HEAUTOU (care of oneself) require instructions, examples and basic rules. For the sake of that, we can tap into the large historical culture of the <CARE OF SELF>. All its main aspects are here illustrated in a modernized and stimulating way. The art of living is based on making choices. And we made the choice of introducing ancient philosophies to a wider audience, in a new updated way (website).

This philosophical non-profit website stems from the 40-years-long studies and researches of Carlo de Blasio (see The Author). It features many of the considerations and ideas which are more discursively presented in his Italian book “Il Sangue e l’Anima” (“The Blood and the Soul“).

This site counts as well on friends, contributors, followers and companions. They are wont on lending advices and suggestions whenever they can. If you too have something to inform us about, do not hesitate to send an email to carlodeblasio@yahoo.com. Thank you!