We will start the class by learning about Socrates, who was in many ways the father of philosophy. We will first learn about the Socratic Method which is a simple three step process for testing ideas – either your own ideas or those of others’. We will first watch a video and then you will practice the method with your classmates. So let us begin!:
Watch: Video on the Socratic Method and Definitions
Socratic Method
Outline of the Socratic Method:
Step 1: Thesis – Present to yourself or another person, a belief, theory, definition, position, etc.
Step 2: Antithesis – The other person or you yourself thinks of a counter-example or exception or refutation of the thesis.
Step 3: Synthesis – Then think of an improved thesis that accounts for and amends the original thesis so that it is no longer vulnerable to the counterexample. The Synthesis now becomes the thesis and the process is continued until an adequate definition is found.
Example:
Thesis: a chair is something you sit on
Antithesis: You can sit on a sofa but a sofa is not a chair
Synthesis: a chair is something you sit on designed for one person (Now make this the thesis and continue)
Another example:
Thesis: Social justice demands that men and women should be equally represented in all institutions, since each compose approximately half the population.
Antithesis: But the populations in prisons is 90% men and only 10% women. So by your position we need to incarcerate more women and less men to make things equal. Is that really what you want to do?
Synthesis: Social justice demands that men and women should be represented in a fair way that accounts for the choices they make in life.
(Now the Synthesis may still not be an adequate position and an antithesis could be found for it also, – until you find a thesis that is no longer vulnerable to falsification).
Applying the Socratic Method. In the discussion, you should make five separate posts engaging in practicing the Socratic Method with your classmates.
Initial post due: Oct. 3 11:59pm
Pick THREE of the concepts below and in your initial post or posts offer a thesis for each of the three.
Replies post due: Oct. 5 11:59pm
Then find other students’ posts and try to come up with counter-examples (or antithesis) or find a synthesis to amend or respond to the counter-example and keep cycling through in an attempt to find a satisfactory definition. All of your posts together should total up to 300 words minimum word count.
You can choose from the following concepts:
What is a chair?
What is a game?
What is art?
What is disabled (disabled person)?
What is hate speech?
What is terrorism?
What is a drug?
What is freedom?
What is gender?
What is a person?
What is a friend?
What is pornography?
What is Justice?