It is said one is never too old to learn something new. And thank goodness because learning does make life more interesting. As a college double major with a minor there just wasn't enough time in a semester to take classes to pursue other interests.
You may remember me writing about a Latin American Contemporary Art class I audited on UW-L 's campus when I taught there and the countless lectures/ presentations attended on 3 different town campuses. Sometimes Natureman joined me and other times, I went on my own. COVID interrupted all our lives on many levels...
Here in Little Rock, LifeQuest, the senior learning program, began its winter quarter last week. Although I decided to take a break from teaching this winter, My Dad and I still signed up for a class together taught by a different lawyer each week. Our first class was on Socrates. Did you ever study the Greek philosophers? I hadn't.
Socrates was raised during the Golden Age, the 5th century, and considered the founder of Western philosophy.
He was not attractive, clothing wasn't important to him and he walked around barefooted.
Socrates was a harmless eccentric who engaged others. It was his students who passed on his teachings since he never published nor wrote down his idealogy ( Plato, by the way, was one of those students.)
Anyhow, Socrates challenged Athenian 'democratic' dogma and logic. As a teacher, unpaid no less, his methodology was asking critical questions regarding ethics. Questioning to learn therefore became known as the Socratic method. Sometimes he appeared to mock those who didn't question although it wasn't his intention to make them look ignorant. How can one learn if one doesn't question?
He was convicted of 2 offenses for corrupting the minds of Athens. He didn't contest his charges as he could have just left Athens. His sentence was death by poison.
Socrates left us knowing ' an unexamined life is not worth living.'
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