WWSD (What Would Socrates Do)?

This article could also be called “More of the same” as we look at the circumstances surrounding the life and times of Socrates and overlap it with our own society today.  This point stems from a recent article in The Economist titled “Arguing to Death” (1) which the reader is given to look over Socrates’ teachings in democratic Athens during the 5th century B.C. versus our own democratic way of life today – thus, what would Socrates preach today, which of our society’s “truths” would he call into question, who would he publicly spear, and would he be put to death once again for it?

            To answer these questions is to take a hard look not only at Athens then but at our own society and government today.  Would it still hold true today, to Socrates, that one need just be a great orator to obtain a senator’s post or perhaps even the most important job in America – that of the presidency?  Are true qualifications for these jobs simply – and laughably – not enough?  What of our great debaters and politicians?  Could they withstand close scrutiny of their morals, principles, and goals vis-à-vis public service?
            Debate was Socrates’ favourite form of teaching; he preferred dialoguing with people on the street, everyday people, conferring with them about some virtue or moral value, debating it and seeing if they could come to another truth together – a coming together of minds if you will.  This invariably proved that we are all capable of such kinds of thinking and debating, not just our political superiors.  And yet, are we having such conversations openly?  We have watched debate shows on television such as CNN’s Crossfire(2) or Hannity and Colmes(3) (both defunct today) and thought ourselves clever in informing ourselves thus, and yet these debates never quite moved closer to the truth of the subject as the debaters just agreed to disagree and be right in their own minds.

 

            Socrates rejected democracy as being nothing more than a ‘mobocracy,’ as did the Founding Fathers, which is why they built a Republic.  This is often forgotten today as the virtues of democracy are blindly extolled in the public arena.  And rare are the few who expose this ignorance that is yet so essential to understanding our own role as individuals within this society.  Are we, then, so different from 5th-century Athenians?  Do we dare challenge the status quo on, well, everything or do we docilely conform to societal standards and listen adoringly to silver-tongued sirens who make love to us with their uplifting and beautiful prose full of promise?

 

            Socrates was put to death for being a nonconformist – could we suffer a similar fate today if we decide that we are going to question?  Are we right back where we started but with TiVo and iPhones instead of togas and pottery?  Is this a social experiment worth trying?  What virtues do we hold to be true and do we follow them or betray them?

 

Regards,

 

(1) http://www.economist.com/world/unitedstates/displayStory.cfm?STORY_ID=15108704

(2) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crossfire_%28TV_series%29

(3) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hannity_%26_Colmes