This is NOT Over
Here is a life in desperate need of a rimshotJune 04, 2012
Monday June 4, 1990 What
Is…Regarding Socrates
Found something much better
to do with my life than worry about girls.
Frisch begun our sessions by
turning my opinion of Socrates on its head.
For the sake of this class, I am going to try and forget this notion
that’s been forced down my throat that Socrates the man is the inventor of a
method of teaching that good teachers imitate.
We know nothing of the real Socrates.
For our purposes this summer, reading the Apology, the Crito and
Aristophanes’ play The Clouds, the real Socrates is irrelevant.
We are to forget the notion
we may have picked up in other classes about these books that Socrates equals
perfect wisdom, and every word from the character of Socrates represents the
author’s view of what is best always and everywhere. In most of the dialogues Socrates is one of a
few, or sometimes many characters. In no
other book, besides the Gospels, do we think that one character speaks the
absolute truth and everyone else is either a witness or an evildoer.
Authors use all the
characters, the setting, the plot and the words of all speakers to illustrate a
larger point. The views of the author,
or what the author thinks is good, or the point, or whatever is found in the
totality of the story, not just things that come from one character.
After class, Frisch and I had
the following conversation…
Me: I’ve never heard Socrates
presented in this way before
MF: I am not surprised.
Me: How did you come to
interpret stories about Socrates in this way?
MF: I didn’t develop this
interpretation if that’s what you mean.
Me: Where does it come
from? Mr. Strauss?
MF: Mr. Strauss certainly
talked about some of the things we’ve discussed today. But this way of reading serious books has
been around as long as the books themselves.
Me: Well how come this is the
first I’ve ever heard of it?
MF: That is a good
question. How is your friend?
Me: Bad, I think. I’m sure she’s not coming back to town any
time soon.
posted by edP # 10:25 AM 
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