Socrates doth dwell herein

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As I walked out of the prison last Thursday evening the sergeant on duty stopped me. We had quite a talk about the inmates and how I work with them. He said it makes a difference.

Ya gets what ya asks for,

I certainly hope it does. At the same time I know that most of the inmates have jailhouse religion. Once they step free of the prison, they will abandon what they professed and learned while incarcerated. Few of them will carry on as they promised to do.

I keep going. It's what I do.

I spend a considerable amount of time asking the inmates questions. Some of the questions I ask and say "don't answer that." Some I let them answer. Some I actively encourage them to answer and solicit responses.

Longtime readers of this column will know I also pose plenty of questions here.

That's a good one.

Questions make people think before they react. If you make a statement, then you may get someone to think before they fire back. Rude Interruption Show hosts on both sides of the American political divide are great at this.

They espouse an insult crudely hidden in an opinion. The target fires right back with a similarly thinly veiled insult. In the end, both sides are even more firmly entrenched in their respective positions. The Maginot Line got nothing on today's talking airbags.

But when you pose questions, you make a person consider their own position. At least that's the hope.

Questions mean you seek explanation, not confrontation. Questions mean you need information.

Flame On

You don't force them to defend their position. A question makes the person consider how best to defend the position to himself.

A person highly skilled in the art of Socratic Reasoning (SR) can lead a person with a poorly reasoned outlook around in a tautological circle Ouroboros would balk at. Some accomplished SRs can make the opposition eventually argue against the original position.

Talk about infuriating some people.

But the main reason behind SR is as the philosopher once said - to draw forth the innate truths the person already knows.

In other words, a SR tries to make you confront the truth within you. If it hurts, well, if the truth hurts you ain't living right.

The Socratic Method makes you think, when applied properly. Dad told me years ago, as I worked on building a portable shop fan, "the thinking is the hardest part."

No comment.

A really good SR will also admit that he doesn't know and is only seeking the truth himself. Unfortunately some of the best SRs on the planet are also lawyers and they use the method to pervert and subvert the truth instead of deliver it.

It ain't 100 percent. You will find some people who are so insecure and neurotic they take a question as personal attack. I don't know how to deal with such people, except to ignore them. If they are not willing to face reality, I make them as inconsequential in my reality as I can.

I'm sure those in the mental health field will say this is not the correct way to handle such things. I am not in the mental health field. I frankly don't want to deal with such people anyway, so I ignore them.

By ignoring them, their insecurities are likely reinforced. Again, this is not my problem. They can either grow up and take responsibility for themselves or get run over by the metaphysical bus I'm driving.

When I grow up...

So what about you?

What brings you back on a regular basis to read these ramblings? Learning something? Found a new truth? Just need to get your blood pressure up?

Thinking more these days? Less?

If Socrates knocks on your door, are you going to let him in?

Interested in finding the truth? Are you willing to take the pain?

Or, are you afraid of the truth?

(insert regular disclaimer about answering these questions.)