From A Christian Critique of the University by Charles Habib Malik. He writes this in response to some of Socrates' discoursing on the understanding of life and meaning. Being developed in a chapter on the futility of Science to explain the world via materialistic empirical approaches such as the theory of Evolution, Malik demonstrates that Socrates, in his insatiable search for understanding pure causes, knew that physical causes could not explain the supra-natural elements of mankind such as Justice, Beauty, Love, Mind, etc.
"Groping for the living God.
Considering the existential circumstances under which it was said , and who said it, and who recorded the saying for all time, what Socrates is saying here is probably the noblest intellectual cry that has come down to us from the heathen world.
Nothing closer to God then than his cry.
There is unutterable, hidden suffering underneath.
Total disenchantment with this world.
The heart craves, demands, cries for the unchangeableness of eternity.
There must be "somewhere" Beauty in itself, Goodness in itself, Justice in itself.
All worldly beauties, goodnesses, justices are nonsense without the beautiful, the good, the just.
Elements by themselves, whatever combinations and permutations they may assume, and matter by itself, whatever complexity or configuration it may take, can never give rise to beauty, justice, goodness, life, mind, spirit.
There must be original and separate Life, Justice, Mind for this living thing, this just person, this thinking mind to exist.
Otherwise magic, superstition, witchcraft; otherwise something from nothing."