I am no stranger to workouts, the basis of muscle proliferation and pain. I have raced my bike across the United States, DNF’ed from heat exhaustion in Wisconsin last year, and have scars to remind me of the journey.
The point of this being that I value the hypertrophy of my quadriceps and mitochondria. But why, then, do we allow our minds to float freely with no strengthening? What is the purpose of this? We find ourselves in a uniquely subjective time. Flat-earthers, anti-vaxxers, and ill-placed skepticism have always been around; but their platforms are growing, taking the ignorant with them. Aside from the dangers of layman pseudoscience, we find ourselves in strange territory where being factually incorrect is almost seen as a flex. No student of Socrates would see the refutation of basic fact as such a flex; indeed, we can approach this using a basic understanding of humans: we crave confirmation and resent contradiction (Farnsworth, 2021.)
Socratic Function
I want to begin our journey with the understanding that we should not only question the logic of others, but also critically examine our own preconceived notions. What good is debating objective realities if we fall ill to misconceptions and biases? Thus, the Socratic Function exists as a vehicle to question our own realities as well as the logic of others. Many newcomers to this method think that end-stage Socratic debate is to “win.” This is simply not the case, mostly because you cannot change the minds of those who follow their own subjective reality. In fact, we should pity such people because, much like my muscles while not training, their minds atrophy. Simply put, I pity those who possess an overbearing false certitude in their own minds. But maybe we can help them.
Contradiction
People with overbearing falsehoods lack the understanding that our thoughts should constantly be in flux. This way, we do not back ourselves into corners of logical fallacies. The anti-vaccine charlatans do this corner backing all of the time by making bold and broad claims. They strip all functions of nuance out of their argument and they fall victim to cross-examination. Our thoughts should be fleeting; I have written about this in previous entries. Again, I pity these people as I want to see them grow and expand their minds. After all, we can make society a better place for everyone.
The cornerstone of the Socratic Method is to simply ask your partner (and yourself) questions until you either understand their argument or allow them to contradict themselves. Rarely is there a “win” to a Socratic debate because, as humans, we hate being refuted. It’s a betrayal of the psyche and ego. But I challenge you, dear Reader, to think about how pleasurable it is to admit fault and grow your psyche while keeping your ego in check. As far as the mind is concerned, this is almost a euphoric feeling and, at the same time, we are growing!
Idiocy and the Psyche
‘Idiocy is a relative state and an invisible one to its occupant.’
Farnsworth, W. (2021)
Think about the last time you held a belief so deeply ingrained that it caused you emotional pain once you discovered it was false. Some of you may struggle with this, and I speak directly to you. If you find my tone offensive, consider how much more offensive it is to subject yourself to falsehoods.
How did you feel after questioning your belief(s) and cross-examining them with the truth? I hope it was a positive experience, because it should be. We should constantly engage in this process, not only with others but, most importantly, with our own thoughts.
Plato tells us that ‘[The] excessive love of self is in reality the source to each man of all offenses’ (Laws, 731e.) When we hold tightly to our beliefs without questioning them, we elevate our egos and shut ourselves off from growth. True wisdom comes from the humility to acknowledge that we might be wrong, and from the courage to seek the truth, no matter where it leads. Now doesn’t that sound wonderful?
Self Deception
We spend time monkeying around with our beliefs because change and progression is inherently negative. The psyche is comfortable in a state of content, whether we know the thoughts we have are really true or not. We get angry, our heart rate increases, and perhaps some of us perfuse uncontrollably. Is this not an indication that maybe we should evaluate what our partner is saying and cross-examine to see how our beliefs hold up? Now, understand, our partner could also be injecting self-serving biases into the conversation- so be careful of that and be sure to question their own beliefs.
Socrates himself denotes ‘There is nothing worse than self-deception; when the deceiver is always at home and always with you.’ (Cratylus, 428d.)
If we truly love ourselves, we should allow the mind to hypertrophy, but allow it to do so in an objective environment.
Set Sail
You, dear Reader, can start this exercise immediately, with yourself. Begin with a belief or value that you hold dear to your heart and mind, now question this same belief or value. Does it hold up to cross-examination? I can attest that questioning your beliefs is far more important than questioning the beliefs of others. It’s ok if you reach an impasse (Socrates calls this an Aporia.) It does happen, and more often than not. The point is, much like lifting weights, you are (hopefully) growing your intellect and shedding off the egotistical desire to be wrong. Questioning should lead to more questioning, either until the sun sets or a valid contradiction has been found with either yourself or your partner. Set sail!
Farnsworth, W. (2021). The Socratic method: A practitioner’s handbook. Practical Philosophy Press.
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