The Remarkable Socrates

Socrates, born in Athens 470 BC, was a seeker of truth and a lover of wisdom. The Greek word “Philosophy” means “a love of wisdom”. Socrates became widely known as the first philosopher.

Philosophy is an endeavor we all undertake when we seek to understand fundamental truths about ourselves, our world, our relationships with the world, with each other, how and why we exist. In Philosophy, any subject is game for the Socratic method, or dialectical investigations to find answers, solutions, or truths.

Socrates methods of investigation are used today by researchers, media as in investigative reporting, in medical fields, and in courthouse law. The essence of Socrates method is to ask questions until contradictions are exposed and the subjects make sense. Socrates used this method of questioning to look beyond the obvious, and he encouraged people to question the things they read about or were told . Today, Noam Chomsky, Intellectual critic of media, political and social life, gives us this same advice.

Socratic Method is used in medical and legal education to help students understand difficult concepts, principles, and to discover evidence. It is used to help determine a disease or cause. The Socratic Method is a tool used by professors to question their students who will need to understand and to exercise it themselves.

Today, the Socratic Dialectic might also be presented under the title of “cold calling”, the asking and answering questions to stimulate critical thinking. In Law school, when experiencing “cold calling”, you must be prepared to be put on the spot.

The movie “Legally Blonde” (2001) demonstrates the “do-or-die” high stakes of questions from a Harvard law professor. In that movie, Reese Witherspoon chases her boyfriend by studying hard to pass the exam for entrance to Harvard Law School. In her first classroom, Reese was temporarily expelled, and very upset when she failed to maintain a dialectic with her professor. If she didn’t learn to use the method, she couldn’t pass. With help, she did learn.

The Socratic Method is also shown in “The Paper Chase” (1973). This movie shows how the dialectic method is used, and you’ll understand why the Socratic Method is such a powerful “critical thinking tool” for finding causes, answers, evidence, or truths.

This investigative method is used for applications of law In the courthouse. The “voir dire” jury selection translates as “to speak the truth” when questioning potential jurors or witnesses to determine suitability for a court case.

Socrates is still a part of us.

Next, Part 2 will explain how Socrates gets into big trouble.

Pay attention to the underlined subjects. The test is on Monday.