thedog - 6-29-2006 at 11:44 AM
Wisdom From Ancient Greece...
Keep this philosophy in mind the next time you hear or are
about to repeat a rumor.
In ancient Greece (469 - 399 BC), Socrates was widely lauded for hi s
wisdom. One day the great philosopher came upon an acquaintance who
ran up to him excitedly and said,
"Socrates, do you know what I just heard about one of your
students...?"
"Wait a moment," Socrates replied. "Before you tell me, I'd like
you to pass a little test. It's called the Test of Three."
"Test of Three?"
"That's correct," Socrates continued. "Before you talk to me about my
student let's take a moment to test what you're going to say.
The first test is Truth. Have you made absolutely sure that what you are
about to tell me is true?"
"No," the man replied, "actually I just heard about it."
"All right," said Socrates. "So you don't really know if it's
true or not.
Now let's try the second test, the test of Goodness.
Is what you are about to tell me about my student something good?"
"No, on the contrary..."
"So," Socrates continued, "you want to tell me something bad about
him even though you're not certain it's true?"
The man shrugged, a little embarrassed.
Socrates continued, "You may still pass though because there is a
third test - the filter of Usefulness. Is what you want to tell me
about my student going to be useful to me?"
"No, not really..."
"Well," concluded Socrates, "if what you want to tell me is
neither True nor Good nor even Useful, why tell it to me at all?"
The man was defeated and ashamed and said no more.
This is the reason Socrates was a great philosopher and held in
such high esteem.
It also explains why Socrates never found out that Plato
was banging his wife.
clevohardcore - 6-29-2006 at 11:50 AM
I am taking philosophy right now and that makes this even more funny. Its banged into my head that "What makes Socrates so smart is that he understood
that he knew nothing" That is why he questioned everything. Every answer you have is never real or genuine. Truth nor false.
upyerbum - 6-29-2006 at 12:33 PM
Socrates was a Gnostic, most likely a Celtic Druid or trained by them.
"When you know you know nothing you know everything."
"I do not believe I know."
I don't know if these quotes are attributed to Socrates directly but they come from the same school of thought.