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Socratic Method of Questioning Phoenix Martinez Intro To Philosophy Alexander Izrailevsky

Martinez 2 There are many existing methods that attempt to bring about a greater understanding to others, but no method has the insight to what is within each of us than Socrates Socratic Method of Questioning. Many conventional ways of teaching contains a hierarchy of those involved in a teaching: there is a teacher, who only lectures, and there is a student, who only listens. Socrates sees many problems in this division between humans, as we are all capable of teaching each other and learning from each other. Some people may be more qualified in specific areas of education, but nobody is more qualified in terms of quality of life than another. Although Socrates very much valued educated individuals, his method of questioning shows that with every person, comes a different perception that can heighten our own understanding of lifes many concepts. It is a method that challenges the very essence of beliefs and morals, bringing about an open-minded mentality to others thoughts and feelings. To me, this philosophy holds much power over humanity, because if humans live by it, it would teach us to listen to each other and challenge each other, creating a very cooperative society. The Socratic Method itself is a form of communication that establishes a social opportunity for individual growth though the process of questioning certain perceptions. It is a method that cannot be planned out with a lecture; its very essence is dependent on the act of questioning each others beliefs as a challenge to see how firm they hold up, but also to question your own beliefs at the same time. Socrates is not concerned with anything outside of ones self when engaging in the Socratic Method, it is purely to challenge how someone currently leads their life; what their values, beliefs, and morals are. The purpose of this is to take a moment and have others question someones own motives and assumptions about life; this will expose a person greater than any other method. Often times, we forget that beliefs are not written in stone, they are meant to change over time and to improve a person as they change. To Socrates,

Martinez 3 we have much more knowledge inside of us already than what we think and we can enhance such a great amount by exercising this method and engaging in self-reflection or by the questioning of others. A conversation that is executed out by the Socratic Method can also be helpful for someone to grow who was not initially involved in the conversation. Even reading one of Platos Dialogues can be beneficial to just about anyone, because the topics often brought up in Socratic Questioning pertains to most humans. This method focuses on a lot of aspects of life that we as humans generally share, and because of this, everyone has an opportunity to give their input. The Socratic Method was intended to be a method that is not reserved for the most intelligent individuals, rather it is an activity that can be engaged in by just about anybody and for a variety of reasons. The goal is not to persuade or to prove anything; it is a very flexible and open discussion for the sake of anyone involved. There are no right or wrong answers; rather all answers are subjective and open for interpretation. The method does not even have to be carried out in a distinct fashion; rather it can be varied in order to suit the context of the situation. Although Socrates mainly used it to extract information from deep within a persons psyche, it can also be used to explain the significance of the physical world around us, it can even be used to question whether or not the physical world around us is even real or of any importance. The Socratic Method carried out some dangerous consequences for Socrates though, and it even led to him being trialed and sentenced to death. For Socrates, personal growth is a process that can be unpleasant to those going through it. Some people are not so much concerned with the positive end result that it often brings about, but rather they can be very defended by an ego that is concerned with a solid foundation of principles and beliefs. Often times those with a personality like this do not like to be exposed and be expected to hear out

Martinez 4 another persons view on their own values. This created problems for Socrates, because he was someone who believed that humility was a part of strong character and it must be challenged. Although this may be true, many people believed Socrates had no right in playing a part of their development and were angry with him practicing this on just about anyone. As reasonable as this may have been, Socrates almost seemed to believe that it was a communal effort that he was entitled to participate. This challenge of the ego is the purpose of the Socratic Method, and Socrates carried it out in hope that it would inspire future generations to see the lasting benefit of his approach. His influence on Western civilization cannot be disputed and the Socratic Method has definitely carried through to America as well. One critical aspect of American culture that holds the Socratic Method as an essential element is parenthood. Children are very curious growing up and we all go through a phase of pure wonder of the world around us and we ask a lot of questions. I see this being a held for much criticism in American culture; that by doing this children become irritable and frustrating, but this is the purest form of thought possible. When Socrates engages in his method, he attempts to move past all of the preconceived assumptions of life we inherit through age. Socrates makes this strategic move for the sake of reverting back to that child-like state of pushing a conversation forward with questions. For parents in America, this stage of development in a child is a crucial time to not only answer a childs questions, but to also ask them for their input on ideas. Parents who have the patience to do this will give their child a great advantage for retaining knowledge and developing critical thinking skills. I believe that in the past few years, I have (for the most part) lived a social life that can be paralleled to Socrates understanding of how humans should interact with each other for the sake of a better community. To Socrates, we should not assume that someone half our age, or even

Martinez 5 twice our age is not capable of teaching us valuable knowledge that we can use in our personal, creative and academic lives. We are all born into different homes with different families: some of those homes are pristine palaces, while some are grey walls holding up a tattered rooftop; some of those families are nurturing and morally varied, some are oppressive to proper development and driven by selfish, excessive pleasure. Socrates understood that there is no possible way that a child from one extreme can fully relate to a child from the opposite extreme, and yet there is a sense of them being unequal that develops into a society comprised of brothers and sisters that believe some are better than others, when in reality some are not given the golden cradle to peacefully slumber. Because this situation is fully relevant in almost every society, it is crucial that people try to be understanding with each other and learn to be respectful by hearing them out properly. I believe that the Socratic Method can dissolve these social barriers by showing that all humans ponder their existence and have different feelings and responses to the many pleasures and pains presented by life. Language was developed as a way to communicate to one another, and it must be used to its full potential by having people from all different places in the world express the things they have experienced, the conclusions they have made from these experiences, and to be open to interpretation from others who seek to question the validity and authenticity of particular thoughts. The purpose of this would be to establish a sense of community and collaboration with our fellow man, and the result of this connection is the realization that there are more factors to the questions we ask ourselves about life. Even questions themselves are very fragmented ways of attempting to find meaning, and all questions can be responded to with more questioning regarding the very essence of that questions significance. One purpose of the Socratic Method could possibly be to discover why the

Martinez 6 questioner picked that particular question. This thought alone can allow oneself to look inwards and find the nature of their misunderstanding, which in effect can bring upon an extensive selfreflection that leads to a greater understanding of ones self. The Socratic Method has definitely found its way into America, however its potential is not fully served by our standard way of teaching. Most teaching in America relies upon the handing down of facts, and our motivation to soak in this information is for the sake of obtaining high test scores. It seems that students in America are not actually learning much of what they learn in school because of this dilemma and it could easily be resolved by using the Socratic Method more diligently. When facts are handed down to students, it is crucial for the sake of the students learning that these facts are put into the right context. By using the Socratic Method, we can identify that most facts are actually answers to questions. With science, we can learn what makes the sky blue, however this would not concern many students unless they themselves Why is the sky blue? or even Why does it matter if the sky is blue? Growing up in America, Ive seen many of my peers lack the motivation to learn some subjects because they do not know, or have not identified with, the reasons they are learning it. I do understand that perhaps we do not have time to format every lesson in this fashion, but I do believe there is a way to use them moderately and to much effect. This philosophy has affected my life the most upon my own reflection on times in my life, when I was missing that sense of questioning my choices and ultimately experiencing a sense of ignorance to the many consequences they could hold on me the rest of my days. The periods of my life, which led to the most destructive choices I was making to my mental and spiritual health, were plagued by an ego that did not see the purpose of seeing my own actions from anothers eyes. Even less concerning to my ego was the usefulness of taking a moment and

Martinez 7 asking myself, Why am I doing what I am doing, saying what I am saying. Have I no respect to others, do I not care about my community to the extent that my actions may be wounding anothers soul. By not asking these questions I got what I deserved: pain, and through this pain I received an opportunity to rise from my ashes and find the faintest bit of light that I can deliver to mankind on a daily basis. My main concern with this method is that it has the potential to cause people to venture too deep by questions that the questions start to become meaningless. I also see the potential that it has for leading people in circles with their questions. Of course, this is not Socrates intentions for his method and is the result of poor taste in how the questions are posed. In order for the Socratic Method to remain significant, it is important to know when to cease the questioning process and conclude the purpose of the exercise. By learning about the Socratic Method, I have also identified another place in my life that was lacking intellectual questioning from others. Growing up my mother passed away when I was very young, and I was left with a naturally introverted father who was also emotionally withdrawn during my most crucial developmental years. I was taking in life as a mysterious force, and any assumptions I made about life were obviously very nave and juvenile. I think that most parents in America implicate a version of the Socratic Method to teach their children, whether or not they know it. Ideal parents are intended to be a resource for their children and their manifesting perceptions of the world. The lack of this resource can prevent a child from learning moral lessons, which prevents a child from being in tune with their inner self. Although I was stripped of this resource, I believe that I overcame it when I began reaching very early adulthood and I cannot use my past as an excuse for not developing. Through learning the importance that the Socratic Method plays in discovering a new side of ones self, I can practice

Martinez 8 the method and hope that one day I will be able to provide this specific type of nurturing to my future children.

Martinez 9 Bibliography Coffey, Heather. Socratic Method. Learnnc.org. 2009. Web Fabio, Michelle. What Is The Socratic Method. Lawschool.about.com. Web. Phillips, Christopher. What Is The Socratic Method. Socrates Caf. Philosopher.org. 18-23. 2001. Web Reich, Rob. Speaking of Teaching. Standford.edu. 2003. Web. Rouse, W.H.D. Ion. The Great Dialogues of Plato. Ed. Eric H. Warmington and Philip Rouse. The New American Library, 1956. 13-27. Print