From Socrates to Sigmas

The real Giga-Sigma of ancient society?

C. N. Vujanovic

FROM ACHILLES TO ALPHAS? FROM SOCRATES TO SIGMAS? Am I just repeating the same social commentary on the brain rot of society but with another ancient fella? Well, yes, yes I am.

Is it any different? Well you tell me. Curious how a philosophising intellectual ‘buffon’ could be Sigma? Well, then read on.

The same guy three times (I cannot tell the difference)

See, if I were to ask you, ‘Can you name some Greek philosophers?’ what would you say? You might start postulating Plato, then add a little Aristotle to the mix, and sum it all up with Socrates, but either way, those are the three philosophers that come to mind. Yet we only have the writings of two of them, or in other words, we do not actually have any written words from Socrates.

Instead he is primarily used as a tool by Plato to convey his philosophical ideas. In the same way that I draw you into reading my articles by using catchy titles that I discard after a few minutes, Plato uses a Sigma as a character in his stories to help his audience listen and stay focused. John Ferrari of UC Berkeley writes that Socrates is “one of the fictional characters in The Republic (good read, would recommend), [and] he is also its fictional voice”, which means that while Socrates was undoubtedly a real person, everything we know about him is based off his students’ representations of him.

All that is to say, we do not know very much about this Sigma. But instead of telling you what we do not know about Socrates, let us turn to what we do know from Plato’s representation of Socrates as a character foil to Thrasymachus (a complete beta character).

In the 4th and 5th century Athens, the city did not have an army, but a militia. That is to say, while they did not have a permanent armed force, all men could be called up to fight, meaning that most men became soldiers. Notice that does not exclude Socrates. And apparently he was a really, really good one.

So to paint a picture, if M. Kwak was the Sergeant Major, then Socrates was that, but in ancient Greece. According to a famous general at the time, Alcibiades, “When you behave as [Socrates] did, then the enemy does not even touch you.” Pretty Sigma, right?

They’re hiding something under that hat. A brain?

But it gets better because, by the end of his life, Socrates was a veteran of over three battles and was well known as a war hero. But during this time he did not turn from his love of knowledge, his peace in knowing. Instead he practised it all the more, famously meditating for long periods of time.

During the war, “he stood in meditation on the spot where he had been since daybreak, pondering some question, and when he had made no progress he did not give up, but stood and sought. … Finally, when evening came, some of the observers after dinner brought their sleeping mats out, to watch and see if he would also stand all night. There he stood till daylight came and sunrise. Then, when he had prayed to the Sun, he went away.” – Plato

Socrates not wearing shoes

Honestly, Socrates appears to be the true Sigma to me, surpassing even Achilles. While the Iliad revolves entirely around Achilles’ rage and primal emotions, Socrates remained grounded even in the most critical moments. And this assessment only scratches the surface when we consider Socrates in the context of his military involvement. Now, imagine delving into his realm of greatest renown: philosophy. Exploring that aspect would extend this article far beyond its current length. However, I’ll leave you with just one contemplation.

In the same way that Achilles became famous because of his death, what if it was the same for Socrates? Maybe the only reason Socrates was Sigma was because he became a martyr? Well that would leave me a bit sad because then I could never be a hero, you could never be a sigma.

Perhaps he didn’t attain Sigma status through his demise or deeds, but rather through his unique perspective—his outlook on life and approach to the world. If we truly grasp his philosophy, we can transition from being like Achilles to embodying the essence of Socrates, and eventually, you can evolve into a Sigma. Such thoughts will only come next week when we amalgamate Achilles, and synthesise Socrates creating a character foil (Hal v. Hotspur vibes) to find the Aristotelian golden mean, to figure out how you can become Sigma.