Socrates - the Ideal Educator

Daniel Michaelson

Professor Hain

Wisdom of Socrates; MR 10 AM

12/7/16

Socrates: The Ideal Educator

        Socrates is most renowned today for his having developed the basis for what has grown into Western Philosophy. His ideas and actions have been documented, analyzed, and built upon over centuries; however, he authored no works of his own. Socrates preferred taking to the streets rather than writing indoors, and as such, the only recordings we have of his philosophies were gathered and published by his students. While the man himself wore many hats, the one he wore most prominently was that of the educator.

Socrates style of teaching was unique in that he utilized a more hands on approach with his students. His classroom was the city of Athens and his curriculum was rather controversial, yet his was the flame that ignited the one of the most significant developments of modern thought.  

When the time comes to make the decision on where and by whom my child is educated, I will be forced to ask myself, “What quality do I value most in an educator?” The first and most prominent quality that an educator can possess is the ability to kindle a desire for knowledge within a child. A student who has a real passion for their education will always learn more, and retain more of what they are taught, than a student who does not share that desire. The ability to develop that internal motivation is crucial, as internal motivation (such as the desire to learn because it interests/excites you) will always yield superior results to external motivation (such as doing school work to avoid punishment).

Socrates was able to inspire that deep desire for knowledge within his students on an unparalleled level. His students were so moved by his instruction that it ultimately led to his demise, as they began causing a stir in the political landscape that could not be ignored. It is that level of dedication to the pursuit of truth and knowledge that I desire to be instilled in my child, and I do not believe that the traditional school system can inspire such greatness.

Normal schooling forces students to learn through rote memorization with regular testing. This style of education results in a low retention rate, as the students are never prompted to ask why things are the way that they are, they are just force-fed facts. When you learn this way, it is easy to lose interest in the subject matter, as the material is just another string of facts that need to be memorized for an exam. By the end of this process, very little information is actually retained, as the material becomes irrelevant after the exam. The student never has a chance to ignite their passion for knowledge because they are never given the opportunity to experience true wisdom. Knowing “what” something is, is a very surface understanding; true wisdom of a subject is found in the “why”.

To kindle a desire for knowledge in someone, they must be exposed to this difference in levels of understanding. Once a student is conscious of the existence of true wisdom, they will be compelled to pursue it, not just in one thing, but in all things. Thus, the educator of my child should not teach him how to know things, but rather guide him to the path of true wisdom. Who better to serve this purpose than Socrates, “the best, and also the wisest and the most upright”? (Phaedo, 58)

Many of Socrates’ contemporaries in Athens claimed to be wise, yet they only feigned wisdom as a façade for their ignorance. Socrates sought out “all those who had any reputation for knowledge to examine its meaning… [and] found that those who had the highest reputation were nearly the most deficient”. (Apology, 25) These men were educated to learn in a similar fashion to today’s system; they were taught to know things, not to be wise. While they may have possessed true wisdom of their respective craft (the “why”), they possessed accepted the mere surface facts of other subjects (the “what”). Rather than admitting their ignorance of those subjects outside their expertise, these men feigned wisdom. This is a very easy deception for educators to subconsciously fall into, and it has grave consequences. When an educator thinks themselves wise in a field in which they know only the “what”, yet not the “why”, they are doing their students a strong disservice. Socrates argues that “surely it is the most blameworthy ignorance to believe that one knows what one does not know” (Apology, 32), however I believe there to be an even more blameworthy ignorance – the ignorance to pass along incomplete or inaccurate knowledge as fact. This is an issue that plagues a great deal of educators in traditional school systems, however Socrates transcends this fault. By constantly urging his pupils to pursue true wisdom, they will never be deceived by surface facts or the purveyors of them.

The nature of Socrates wisdom is found in his constant questioning of the world around him. Rather than feigning wisdom, Socrates accepted that which he did not know, and continually questioned its nature in hopes of discerning the kernel of truth. Socrates’ inquisitive nature can be observed throughout the few texts that document his life. In Xenophon’s Apology, when Socrates is presented with his death sentence, he remains in a state of calm while the others around him allowed their emotions to overwhelm them. Whereas most people would simply assume they had a strong desire to live, and plead for mercy, Socrates contemplated the “why” with regards to his desire to live. Upon this questioning, Socrates realized that he was a man of old age starting to feel the effects his weakening body. As Socrates saw it, he was either “facing death while blessings [were] still pouring in on [him]… or being released from life when troubles are in store” (Xenophon, 48). By questioning the “why” of his desire to live, Socrates was able to discern the true wisdom of his situation; at this point, death was preferable to life.