What does "we scratch that we may itch, and itch that we may scratch." means?

Question

It is by Socrates. I'm trying to find out the meaning of this sentence.

Answer 1

You have, obviously, never had poison oak or poison ivy or the meaning of this would be all to clear.

The analogy is to the search for knowledge. We strive to understand or learn about something and, having 'scratched that itch', generally find that the knowledge in itself has created a new itch that we now must scratch.

..

Answer 2

this is from plato's history of socrates
so searching for
plato's phillosopy & Theory will give you better results
(sample key words Plato Phillosopy Philebus Scratching)

at its most basic form the original text I believe its an argument
that you cant have some pleasures unless you accept the pain that goes with them.

the original text was about what defines pleasure
that instead of three states
that of feeling pleasure, (the absense of pain)
that of feeling pain (the absense of pleasure)
and that of feeling nothing (the absense of feeling)
there is a fourth state the Mixed state where we feel both
pain and pleasure
when you itch and scratch at the same moment.
you feel the pain and pleasure at the same time.
so are they not in essence the same thing.

Answer 3

I think it's about desire. Desire is the striving of an ego or will for some kind of satisfaction beyond "just being," and man's ego is NEVER satisfied.

We are able to act to satisfy our wants, so we are always looking for a want to satisfy (if we couldn't act willfully, we would not know what it was to want). And we do desire, because without something for our will to strive for, our will is useless.

I'm not at all sure this is what Socrates had in mind. It's just my own interpretation.

Answer 4

i feel that it is something like.. everything works in a 2 way manner and are dependent on each other.

eg.
A: why did u poo?
B: cos i ate

A: why did u eat?
B: so i could poo


or perhaps Socrates was just trying to hint:

"someone's gotta find a solution to these mosquito bites."

Answer 5

I think it means that we either like to scratch ourselves, or we like to annoy ourselves.
Hummmm??

Answer 6

thats interesting. never heard that one before. I would interpret that as there are always more than one way to get something accomplished. who knows. thats a good one.

Answer 7

ummm...maybe one way to interpret is --- we do unto others what we want done unto us.

Answer 8

he had diabetes and his anus itched