The Socratic Dialogue

Article43

As this is a Philosophy thread, then it would not be complete without the mentioning of The Socratic Dialogue - and how Socrates used to listen to so many self professed "experts" go on and on about what they had achieved, what they had done, and how great they were;

then, once questioned by Socrates in a logical manner, they were made to see - if they would not agree - that most of what they said was not factual, and in fact, it was mostly lies!

We could all learn a lot from understanding The Socratic Dialogue approach - and better still, if we all had someone wise and willing enough to engage us, I am sure that we would all benefit - but alas, modern day society is controlled by an elite group whom, although profess to teach for the good of mankind, the majority behave like the many whom Socrates had to engage so many years ago. you might have heard the term;

"History repeats itself"

how true!

Tim Robbins

Article43 wrote: »

As this is a Philosophy thread, then it would not be complete without the mentioning of The Socratic Dialogue - and how Socrates used to listen to so many self professed "experts" go on and on about what they had achieved, what they had done, and how great they were;

then, once questioned by Socrates in a logical manner, they were made to see - if they would not agree - that most of what they said was not factual, and in fact, it was mostly lies!

We could all learn a lot from understanding The Socratic Dialogue approach - and better still, if we all had someone wise and willing enough to engage us, I am sure that we would all benefit - but alas, modern day society is controlled by an elite group whom, although profess to teach for the good of mankind, the majority behave like the many whom Socrates had to engage so many years ago. you might have heard the term;

"History repeats itself"

how true!

AFAIK, it's actually called the Socratic method.

Article43

A good point Tim - maybe this will make it a bit clearer - but once we know the idea behind it, that is all that matters.

http://www.sfcp.org.uk/socratic_dialogue.htm

Most humans are full of themselves, and love to tell everyone how great they are, and all the rest that goes with it.

But, it does not take long to see the true colours of a person, for ones character can't be hidden that easily.

We all heard the saying "honesty is the best policy", and "always tell the truth" - and you know what, they are the best principles that anyone can follow.

Sometimes it is hard to speak what is really on your mind, but when you have some first hand experience dealing with idiots it becomes very easy - I call them idiots as that is exactly what they are:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idiot

The truth always hurts - but it is always the truth.

Most people are intimidated by someone sitting on a little chair behind a PC, typing words which mostly consist of nothing but pure rubbish - but one must be able to read between the words to see the persons character -not an easy skill to acquire, but over time, as with most things in life, it becomes easier to spot the idiots - they stand out like a sore thumb.

Article43

A sample read.

FionnMatthew

The truth always hurts - but it is always the truth.

What is truth?

Article43

Truth never comes into the world but like a bastard, to the ignominy of him that brought her birth

John Milton

---

The road to truth is long, and lined the entire way with annoying bastards.”

Alexander Jablokov

---

"The Matrix is the world (modern day teachings) that has been pulled over your eyes to blind you from the truth."

Morpheus

---

Article43

The ION Dialogue

Article43

The big question is;

If Ion is ignorant - which Socrates eventually gets him to admit in the second last line;

Ion. There is a great difference, Socrates, between the two alternatives; and
inspiration is by far the nobler

What does this say of Homer ?

Article43

Many will argue that the Ion dialogue is an attach on poetry by Plato - others will argue it is a defense of poetry - but who cares!

Many of the academic arguements are irrelevant to the individual - after all; it is best to be critical of everything we read - but why not be critical in relation to self improvement - for the only person that can really help you to improve on what you have in life, is yourself.

For me, the Ion dialogue shows that Ion is just another idiot - he has been inspired by Homer, as many of us today are inspired by others who have "made it" out there in the big bad world.

Ion had no art himslef - he was a copycat, and he was so thick and blinded by Homer, who himself was inspired by the Muse, he failed to see how idiotic he really was - until Socrtaes showed him his err of course.

We can all learn from the Ion dialogue - beware who and what you look up to and admire in life - for in the eyes of others you just might be just another idiot, like Ion!

FionnMatthew

Article43 wrote: »

Truth never comes into the world but like a bastard, to the ignominy of him that brought her birth

John Milton

---

The road to truth is long, and lined the entire way with annoying bastards.”

Alexander Jablokov

---

"The Matrix is the world (modern day teachings) that has been pulled over your eyes to blind you from the truth."

Morpheus

---

Thank you, Article43.

Those are all rather delicious quotes from other people.

Perhaps, though, since you said "the truth always hurts, but it is always the truth", a statement which makes some positive inferential claims about the tangibility and real character of the concept of truth, you could provide us with your own, honest answer to the question "what is truth?"

Article43

Well Fionn - seen as you asked, here it is, but in reality, what I think about things does not mean one little iota to anyone else - it is what one thinks oneself what matters most.

"Truth is when you discover that what you are doing - or have done - is not what you thought you were doing"

This can also be called experience, therefore, "Truth" can be considered as realisations that the individual becomes aware of thru real life experiences.

We all come into world with a small brain that is partially developed, some are unfortuante enough to be afflicted with abnormalities, but this is how evolution works - then, outside influences mould and shape how we use our brain, but; deep inside each and every one of us there is a desire to discover what can be called "Truths"

To follow on:

Why are so many people caught up in everyday life that they do not see what is really going on around them?

Does it matter?

Who cares a damn?

So what if I drive a new BMW 730i and live in a 5 bathroom house!

So what if my wife spends €K's on De La Mar creams for to keep the wrinkles from showing on her neck and face!

So what if children are suffering with serious diseases when Bertie and his baboons run the country with their cronies!

So what if Father Jack drank a whole bottle of toilet duck and slept for 14 days in a maggoty chair!

Well - for me it is very easy to pick out the one that is the most important - and it is not my wifes wrinkles :rolleyes:

Article43

We all want what is best for our family, our neighbours and ourselves.

We all go to mass (if we are Christians) and receive Holy Communion to get our weekly forgiveness.

We all put on a show for the neighbours - make sure that our lawn is cut with our ride on mower, our two cars are washed and clean, and we have all the photos from our ski holiday/s and summer vacation.

What are we all - well, if you were to be honest, and speak the "Truth" - we are all a bunch of hypocrites.

I remember years ago my Mother, and many other Mothers speaking about the Jehovah Witnesses, and how they do nothing and one should not answer the door when they knock - but, this was due to nothing more than ignorance.

I have never attended a Jehovah meeting, nor do I intend to, but unless I take the time out to go and see what these people really do, then I cannot judge them - how can I, or anyone else for that matter?

The world we live in is one big mess - and it is my opinion that the education system (worldwide) is the main reason for this. The methods used to educate people, are of course done for a specific reason, as one thing will always have a relation with another thing (cause and effect).

The irony of it is, those that teach do not realise exactly why they do what they do, and what is the underlying cause.

To try and uncover the “Truths” in relation to this type of education, one has to take it upon oneself to do some research and look for information that supports the reasoning behind suck thinking – which I have found for myself, but as we all are individuals, this can, and probably will, mean nothing to anyone else – but,

Who cares?

History will continue to repeat itself until the end of time – it will take centuries of radical thinking and sacrifices, as in the past, to change what is now considered to be “normal living”.

As for all the people who profess to have quick solutions – as in self-improvement techniques, spiritual ideas, and so forth, well, all I can say is, they might not have researched the correct material, if any :rolleyes:

Article43

BTW - when I speak of research, I do not mean academic research and the accompanying reference squiggles that one must produce, so that the reader may verify the content – if you want my honest opinion I think this is a load of crap – how ever logical it may seem!

I will admit that one must question the validity of written text – so as long as the text is obtained from a recognised historical source, let it be a library or validated online reference, then one can assume that they have factual historical information.

When one reads one should read for oneself – not for others, as one should keep in mind that the only person that can discover a “Truth” for oneself, is oneself – others may provide interaction in relation to the subject, but it may be wise to reflect on ones own experiences, and how they relate to what it is one is trying to understand.

Again, there is a single word that tends to summarise it all nicely, and that is;

“Crap”