The Forgotten 3rd Rule of Ancient Greek Philosophy

Why Are You So Sure?

Watch the video version. Listen to the podcast version.

“Know Thyself,” and “All Things in Moderation.” — you’ve probably heard these first two moral precepts once inscribed on the Temple of Apollo at Delphi. 

But few have heard of the third — “Surety brings ruin.” 

Plutarch, a priest of Apollo at Delphi, said it reminds us to stay skeptical about our beliefs.

Today, every third-rate podcast host and politician is an expert on pandemics, monetary policy, and climate change.

They speak with conviction from a place of ignorance because it gets attention, and because conviction makes people feel safer than uncertainty. 

But life frequently punishes the dogmatic. We need to stop labeling ourselves with political and scientific beliefs we know little about, and instead lightly hold tentative and testable working hypotheses. We need to stay flexible and humble if we want to be resilient. 

As the ancient Greeks believed, to do otherwise is to court ruin.