Socratic Lessons on Teaching Philosophy

In Socrates’ discussion with Phaedo between 90b and 91b, we find him role modeling two very important aspects of how to teach philosophy.  First, Socrates is very attentive to the fact that philosophy can be a frustrating enterprise, where one ends up in contradiction, or in aporia, lacking the answers that one set out to find.  Socrates warns Phaedo saying, “We should not allow into our minds the conviction that argumentation has nothing sound to it.” (90e). Socrates tells Phaedo that this can happen if one does not have the proper skill at argumentation.  In one’s distress and frustration, the student can “shift the blame away from himself to the arguments, and spend the rest of his life hating and reviling reasonable discussion and so be deprived of truth and knowledge of reality” (90d).  I think this is very pertinent to how we might teach any introduction to philosophy class.  I think even in my own philosophical journey I have at times asked myself, “well if we never get to a final answer what is the point?”  We need to make sure that we help students through this process, so that they find the right perspective on the matter.  I would be especially interested in discussing this issue in class to get Nathan and Anne’s take. 

Two ideas I had were as follows:  One, make sure to not always discuss such difficult subjects that answers do seem impossible.  Make sure to give some easy wins, for instance, like how we can rule out straight utilitarianism in ethics.  Even if we can’t determine a final theory we all agree on, we can make important progress by ruling things out.  Two, we should make sure to emphasize the lifelong process of learning and philosophy.  I.e. that it is a journey that never ends.  Third, getting students comfortable with the fact that it is okay to change their minds even if they were once convinced of something, and that refinement of our positions and arguments is a good and normal process.  If they don’t understand that refinement is a normal part of the process, this also could lead to a kind of despairing.

The second warning Socrates gives is that we must train students not to relish in argument for the sake of arguing, winning the debate, or convincing others.  Rather, we need to train and remind our students, as well as ourselves, that we should be focused on getting to the truth that we can really accept ourselves.  Socrates says, “I shall not be eager to get the agreement of those present that what I say is true, except incidentally, but I shall be very eager that I should myself be thoroughly convinced that things are so” (91a).   I think this perspective is really important.  Students (likely ourselves included) can be so concerned about writing a good paper or finding a good criticism of another argument, that there can be a tendency to start arguing for argument’s sake alone, without even thinking whether or not one's position is a truth one is convinced of oneself.