The Ramsay Centre Podcast: The Socratic Method in the Western Tradition - An exclusive lecture by Peter Boghossian
Mar 27, 2023
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Philosopher Peter Boghossian discusses the art of conversation and debate in modern discourse. He outlines the Socratic Method as a core element in discourse, emphasizing the importance of critical thinking and testing beliefs. Boghossian also introduces 'street epistemology' for promoting reflection and challenging faith-based beliefs. The podcast explores topics such as civil discourse, environmental engineering, challenging convictions, and the influence of woke ideology.
Engage in dialectical processes to refine beliefs and foster continuous learning.
Utilize street epistemology to challenge beliefs and promote attitudinal dispositions towards evidence-based reasoning.
Embrace a Socratic-like attitude of humility to listen to opposing views and recalibrate beliefs based on new evidence.
Deep dives
The Importance of True Critical Thinking and the Socratic Method
True critical thinking and the Socratic method are essential in Western thought, originating with Socrates and Plato. The process involves posing questions, forming hypotheses, engaging in dialogues to test ideas, and revising beliefs. An example like the Republic showcases the wonder, hypothesis, alinques, and revision stages. This method aims at reaching balanced judgments based on impartial scrutiny, fostering moral expertise through continuous dialogue and critical reflection.
Street Epistemology and the Method of Inquiry
Street epistemology, derived from the Socratic method, takes epistemological questions to everyday conversations. By asking 'how could I be wrong about that?' individuals can engage in deeper self-reflection and challenge their beliefs. The method involves questioning moral propositions, encouraging individuals to revise their beliefs, and promoting attitudinal disposition towards changing one's mind based on evidence and dialogue.
The Advancement of Civilizations and Necessary Dialogues
Every advanced civilization, irrespective of language or culture, may evolve towards utilizing a dialectical process akin to the Socratic method. This method involves precise questioning, hypothesis testing, and iterative reasoning to refine moral and epistemological truths. Cultures devoid of such corrective mechanisms may exhibit moral and intellectual stagnation. The Socratic method provides a pathway for societies to challenge, revise, and enhance their understanding, fostering continuous learning and growth.
The Moral Aspect in Rejecting Certain Ideas
Rejecting certain ideas is often driven by a moral stance, leading individuals to believe they are better people if they avoid entertaining differing viewpoints. This moral grounding can be seen in actions like protesting against speakers holding contrasting opinions, such as demonstrating against debates opposing gay marriage. The belief that withholding a platform from dissenters equates to moral superiority hinges on the assumption that one's own beliefs are unquestionably true.
Importance of Dialectical Process and Epistemic Humility
Embracing a community and adhering to moral convictions strongly influence the adoption and retention of ideas. People's desire to belong and uphold perceived moral goods outweigh other motivational factors for endorsing certain beliefs. The Socratic method underscores the significance of a dialectical process in refining beliefs and aligning confidence with evidence. Epistemic humility is encouraged as a means to listen to opposing views, recalibrate beliefs based on evidence, and avoid unwarranted confidence.
Potential Impacts of Cultivating Socratic Self-Questioning
Engaging in relentless questioning, either self-imposed or from external sources, can lead individuals to adopt a Socratic-like attitude of acknowledging the limits of their knowledge. This disposition towards humility and openness to revising beliefs can foster a genuine willingness to listen to dissenting views and recalibrate one's beliefs according to new evidence. The dialectical process, epitomized by the Socratic method, prompts individuals to align their confidence levels with the available evidence, promoting intellectual growth and openness to diverse perspectives.
How do we have “impossible conversations”? What is the basis of belief? How do we disagree fruitfully across philosophical, ideological, and religious divides? In an age of mass education, social media, and polarisation, it is more important than ever to cultivate the art of conversation and debate. But where do we begin? In order to unravel some of the complexities of modern discourse and suggest a way forward, the Ramsay Centre presents our third Ramsay Lecture for 2023, Dr Peter Boghossian on The Socratic Method in the Western Tradition.
The Socratic Method is a form of argumentative dialogue based on asking and answering questions to draw out ideas and underlying assumptions. In this lecture, Peter Boghossian outlines how he has devised a template using the Socratic Method as a core element in discourse. He speculates on the role of dialectical processes, critical thinking, corrective mechanisms to test beliefs and assumptions, and attitudinal dispositions and also explains the method of his conversational technique known as ‘street epistemology’ for promoting reflection.
Please join us for this compelling lecture with Peter Boghossian.
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