This tool will help improve your critical thinking - Erick Wilberding — Transcript

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1. 0:08Socrates, one of the founding fathers of Western philosophical thought,
2. 0:13was on trial.
3. 0:14Many Athenians believed he was a dangerous enemy of the state,
4. 0:18accusing the philosopher of corrupting the youth
5. 0:21and refusing to recognize their gods.
6. 0:23However, Socrates wasn’t feared for claiming to have all the answers,
7. 0:28but rather, for asking too many questions.
8. 0:31While he loathed formal lectures,
9. 0:34the philosopher frequently engaged friends and strangers
10. 0:37in lengthy conversations about morality and society.
11. 0:41These discussions weren’t debates, nor would Socrates offer explicit advice.
12. 0:47In fact, the philosopher often claimed to know nothing at all,
13. 0:50responding to his partner's answers only with further questions.
14. 0:55But through this process, Socrates probed their logic,
15. 0:58revealing its flaws and helping both parties reach a more robust understanding.
16. 1:04These insightful questions made Socrates beloved by his followers.
17. 1:09Two of his students, Plato and Xenophon, were so inspired
18. 1:13that they replicated their mentor’s process in fictional dialogues.
19. 1:17These invented exchanges provide perfect examples
20. 1:21of what would come to be known as the Socratic Method.
21. 1:24In one of these fabricated dialogues,
22. 1:27Socrates is conversing with a young man named Euthydemus,
23. 1:31who is confident that he understands the nature of justice and injustice.
24. 1:36Socrates probes the student’s values by asking him to label actions
25. 1:41such as lying and theft as just or unjust.
26. 1:45Euthydemus confidently categorizes them as injustices,
27. 1:49but this only prompts another question:
28. 1:52is it just for a general to deceive or pillage a hostile army?
29. 1:57Euthydemus revises his assertion.
30. 2:00He claims that these actions are just when done to enemies,
31. 2:04and unjust when done to friends.
32. 2:06But Socrates isn’t finished.
33. 2:08He asks the young man to consider a commander lying to his troops
34. 2:13to boost their morale.
35. 2:15Before long, Euthydemus is despondent.
36. 2:18It seems that every answer leads to further problems,
37. 2:21and perhaps he’s not quite sure what constitutes justice after all.
38. 2:27In employing this question-oriented approach,
39. 2:30Socrates described himself as a midwife,
40. 2:33whose inquiries assist others in giving birth to their ideas.
41. 2:38His method of questioning draws out an individual’s unexamined assumptions,
42. 2:43and then challenges those biases.
43. 2:45It doesn't always provide definitive answers,
44. 2:48but the method helps clarify the questions
45. 2:50and eliminate contradictory or circular logic.
46. 2:55And by following a line of inquiry where it logically leads,
47. 2:58both the question asker and answerer can end up in unexpected places.
48. 3:04This technique isn’t limited by the conversation’s content,
49. 3:08making it incredibly useful in numerous fields.
50. 3:11During the Renaissance, the method was used to teach clinical medicine.
51. 3:15Students proposed their rationale for different diagnoses,
52. 3:19while a doctor questioned their assumptions and moderated discussion.
53. 3:23In this model, the method could even produce conclusive results.
54. 3:27This same approach was later used in other sciences,
55. 3:30such as astronomy, botany, and mathematics.
56. 3:34Following the Protestant Reformation,
57. 3:36it was adapted to tackle abstract questions of faith.
58. 3:40In the 19th century, the method became an essential part
59. 3:43of American legal education.
60. 3:46Professors explored students’ understanding of judicial reasoning
61. 3:50by challenging them with unforeseen hypothetical situations.
62. 3:55This approach is still used today by the Supreme Court
63. 3:58to imagine the unintended impacts of passing a law.
64. 4:02The Socratic Method can be adapted to teach almost any topic
65. 4:06that relies on critical reasoning,
66. 4:09but its success depends on the teacher employing it.
67. 4:12An effective Socratic educator must be well versed in their subject.
68. 4:17Rather than bullying their students or showing off their superior intellect,
69. 4:21they should be modest, genuinely curious, and affirming of every contribution.
70. 4:26In this regard, Socrates himself
71. 4:29may not have been the most subtle Socratic teacher.
72. 4:32Historians believe he was deeply critical of Athens’ particular brand of democracy,
73. 4:38and known to pass those concerns onto his followers.
74. 4:42These subversive beliefs were distorted in public forums
75. 4:45and thought to have inspired two of his pupils to treasonous ends.
76. 4:50It was likely for these ideas Socrates was brought to trial,
77. 4:54and eventually, sentenced to death.
78. 4:56But even on his deathbed, artists depict a serene philosopher—
79. 5:01ever curious to explore the ultimate question.