what is sophrosyne
Sophrosyne. Sophrosyne is a Greek philosophical term etymologically meaning healthy-mindedness and from there self-control or moderation guided by knowledge and balance. Roman poet Juvenal later interpreted sophrosyne 'mens sana in corpore sano'.ophrosyne. Sophrosyne is a Greek philosophical term etymologically meaning healthy-mindedness and from there self-control or moderation guided by knowledge and balance. Roman poet Juvenal later interpreted sophrosyne 'mens sana in corpore sano'.
In classical Greece, sophrosyne ( soh-froh-soo'-neh ) referred to excellence of character and soundness of mind in a well-balanced individual. This complex ideal has no direct translation into English.Its roots suggest a bringing together (syne) of the qualities of wisdom (sophia)...the subject of the Charmides is, What is sophrosyne? -- and that word cannot be translated by any one English word. The truth is that this quality, this sophrosyne, which to the Greeks was an ideal second to none in importance, is not among our ideals. We have lost the conception of it.