Sophrosyne (Ancient Greek:σωφροσύνη) is anancient Greek concept of anideal ofexcellence of character andsoundness ofmind, which when combined in one well-balanced individual leads to other qualities, such astemperance,moderation,prudence, purity,decorum, andself-control. An adjectival form is "sophron".[1]
It is similar to the concepts ofzhōngyōng (中庸) of ChineseConfucianism[2] andsattva (सत्त्व) of Indian thought.[3]
InAncient Greek literature, sophrosyne is considered an important quality and is sometimes contrasted withhubris. A noted example of this occurs in Homer'sThe Iliad. WhenAgamemnon decides to take the queenBriseis away fromAchilles, it is seen as Agamemnon behaving with hubris and lacking sophrosyne.[4] In Homer'sOdyssey,Odysseus avoids being turned into an animal byCirce the enchantress by means of a magical herb,moly (symbolizing, by some accounts, sophrosyne), given to him byAthena (Wisdom) andHermes (Reason).[5]
Heraclitus's fragment 112 states:[6]
σωφρονεῖν ἀρετὴ μεγίστη, καὶ σοφίη ἀληθέα λέγειν καὶ ποιεῖν κατὰ φύσιν ἐπαίοντας
Sophrosyne is the greatest virtue, and wisdom is speaking and acting the truth, paying heed to the nature of things
Themes connected with sophrosyne and hubris figure prominently in plays ofAeschylus,Sophocles, andEuripides. Sophrosyne is recognized as a virtue, although debased forms of it, like prudery, are criticized.[7] Sophrosyne is a theme in the playHippolytus byEuripides, in which sophrosyne is represented by the goddessArtemis and is personified by the characterHippolytus.[1][8]: 71–123
The 6th-century BCE poetTheognis of Megara mentions Sophrosyne as among thedaimona that were released fromPandora's box.[9]
Sophrosyne is an important topic forPlato. It is the main subject of the dialogueCharmides, wherein several definitions are proposed but no conclusion reached; however in the dramatic context it connotes moral purity and innocence. An etymological meaning of sophrosyne as "preservation of thoughtfulness" is proposed inCratylus 411e. The ability to manage with temperance and withjustice (σωφρόνως καὶ δικαίως) is offered as a definition of virtue in theMeno (73a).[10] Plato's view of sophrosyne is related to Pythagoreanharmonia (Republic 430e−432a, 442c) and closely linked with Plato’stripartite division of the soul: sophrosyne is the harmonious moderation of the appetitive and spirited parts of the soul by the rational part (e.g.,Phaedrus 237c−238e).[11]
Aristotle included discussions of sophrosyne[12]: III.10–11 in his pioneering system ofvirtue ethics.
Aristotle believed sophrosyne described "amean with regard to pleasures,"[12]: III.10 distinct fromself-indulgence on the one hand, or perhapsanhedonia on the other. Like courage, sophrosyne is a virtue concerning our discipline of "the irrational parts of our nature" (fear, in the case of courage; desire, in the case of sophrosyne).[12]: III.10
His discussion is found in theNicomachean Ethics Book III, chapters 10–12, and concludes in this way:
And so the appetites of temperate men (σώφρωνος) should be in harmony with their reason; for the aim of both is that which is noble: the temperate man (σώφρων) desires what he ought, and as he ought, and when he ought; and this again is what reason prescribes. This, then, may be taken as an account of sophrosynes (σωφροσύνης).[12]: III.12
As with virtue generally, sophrosyne is a sort of habit, acquired by practice.[12]: II.1 It is a state of character, not a passion or a faculty,[12]: II.5 specifically a disposition to choose themean[12]: II.6 between excess and deficit.[12]: II.2 The mean is hard to attain, and is grasped by perception, not by reasoning.[12]: II.9
Pleasure in doing virtuous acts is a sign that one has attained a virtuous disposition.[12]: II.3 Sophrosyne is the alignment of our desires with what will produceeudaimonia, such that we desire to do what is best for our own flourishing.[13]: 90
For the Stoic,Zeno of Citium, sophrosyne is one of the four chief virtues.[14] Later Stoics likeMusonius Rufus,Seneca,Epictetus, andMarcus Aurelius took a practical view of sophrosyne and share a definition of it as the restraint of the appetites.[4]: 228–29
Demophilus, a Pythagorean philosopher of uncertain date, wrote:[15]
Ρώμη ψυχής σωφροσύνη αύτη γαρ ψυχής απαθούς φώς εστιν
The vigor of the soul is sophrosyne, the light of a soul free of disturbing passions.
Cicero considered four Latin terms to translate sophrosyne:temperantia (temperance),moderatio (moderateness),modestia (modesty), andfrugalitas (frugality).[16] Through the writings ofLactantius,St. Ambrose andSt. Augustine, the virtue's meaning as temperance or "proper mixture" became the dominant view in subsequent Western European thought.[17]
Sophrosyne, according toSt. Thomas Aquinas, is the fourth and finalcardinal virtue.[18]
It is also mentioned in the workOn Virtues (Greek:Περὶ ἀρετῶν) by GeorgiosGemistos Plethon.
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