THE TEACHER AND HIS TEACHINGS SOCRATES

THE DIALECTIC Socrates argued that one of the chief reasons many people cannot think clearly is that they do not know what they are talking about. Socrates followed the Socratic Method or Dialectic, which was a question-answer technique used to draw the truth out of his pupils, often by means of achieving a clearer, more precise definition of a key term or concept.

The Socratic Method begins with the assumption that the function of education is to draw the truth out of the pupil rather than “fill an empty vessel”. In practice, it is a series of guided questions known as the dialectical method of inquiry. A very important aspect of Socratic teaching is the active involvement of the audience (pupils, listeners), hence the use of questions rather than straight lectures.

The dialectical process as Socrates practiced it was dynamic and hopeful. At worst, the participants learned that although they might not have found the answer, the meaning of justice, the good life, or courage, they were a bit clearer than before, others were angered and frustrated, if not humilliated, as their confusion and ignorance were exposed. Socrates believed that the truth was somehow in each of us, the teacher`s role, then, isn`t to put knowledge into an empty mind, but to draw wisdom and clarity out of a disordered and confused soul.

For Socrates, the most important order of business was to engage the other person. The Socratic Method in full form is more than just questions and answers. It is a highly personal activity, guided by one who knows and only works if the other participant actively listens and responds. SOCRATIC IRONY A key element in keeping his pupils engaged, and calling attention to the importance of meaning, was Socrates` use of irony, a way of communicating on more than one level. Irony has at least two levels: the literal, which is the obvious level, and the hidden level, which is the real one.

By using words in unexpected ways, by meaning more than one obvious, surface level thing, Socrates hoped to keep his listeners alert. Socrates used irony to keep his listeners on their toes and to avoid putting answers in their mouths. THE UNEXAMINED LIFE Among Socratic teachings, the most persistent command was “KNOW THYSELF”. The significance to Socrates of this command is underscored by the fact that he stressed its importance to his life and mision. Facing the end of a long life, Socrates uttered one of the most famous statements in the history of ideas: “THE UNEXAMINED LIFE IS NOT WORTH LIVING”. By this he meant that a life devoid of philosophical speculation is hardly a human life. It is incomplete, it lacks virtue or excellence.

Socrates believed that human psyche is the essence of humanness. The psyche was a combination of what we think of as the mind and soul: consciousness, the capacity of reason, and the ability to reflect, known as reflective thinking. An unexamined life is a life that takes the psyche for granted, is an unconcious life. It is to live in the minimal level. Thinking never arises above practical concerns; desires are rarely pondered. The examined life does not produce all the answers, instead it results in a life devoted to knowing more, it is life lived in conscious awareness of the human condition, it is not spent in attempts to satisfy various needs and desires.