reflection paper#11

The impact that Socrates ideas had in the modern western education was very peculiar and strange, at least from my understanding of the readings. Even though he is well known in history for his great ideas, Socrates actually wrote nothing. He was more of a teacher that never taught in a classroom. He only spoke to groups of people who were willing to gather around and listen to all that he articulated. Most of our comprehension of Socrates comes from the works of Plato (427-347). Since Plato had other trepidations in mind than simple chronological precision it is usually impossible to determine how much of his thinking actually originated from Socrates. An elenchus (known as a logical refutation or an argument that refutes another argument by proving the contrary of its conclusion) was identified as the elenctic Method or the Socrates Method, according to the Notes of Socrates. He believed that happiness was moral excellence and through a chain of discussions he tried to develop an understanding of other people’s ethic and get them to recognize whatever it was he was implying. In Elenctic discussions or arguments, one person would claim knowledge of a certain subject or element, stating a thesis, which, through a series of questions, Socrates would scrutinize. Socrates would never state a conclusion - the questions he asked, on the other hand, would take different components of the individual’s argument, and make them seem rhetorical or stupid. The conclusions of most of these discussions were always temporary because it was always left waiting to be disapproved during a future elenctic argument. The concluding goal of the Elenchus was to typify virtue - since everyone had good quality in them and Socrates truly believed that it should be revealed. Socrates thought that if one could ever correctly define justice, he would have the definition of the absolute justice and his explanation of justice would always hold true for every creature in the universe. As for the examined life, the article was basically about the charges that were put down against Socrates and his trail. In conclusion, Socrates was an ancient philosopher who was really open and expressed what he felt so that all would able to hear him. I think his life was basically an open book that he wanted everyone to read. He had a great impact in modern education and that is why he is well know and talked about till this very day.