THINK! - 2 - Breakfast with Socrates - Archives
- Details
- Written by Marian Moore
KRYSAN
THE WELLBEING CONSULTANCY
T H I N K (!)
SOCRATES
'I cannot teach anybody anything, I can only make them think.'
BREAKFAST WITH SOCRATES
by
MARIAN MOORE
'How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.'
Annie Dillard, The Writing Life
I'd better explain.
This morning I spent a delightful hour in the company of people who are in the process of volunteering their spare time to help others live happier lives. My role as guest speaker on their two-day induction programme was simply to tell my story of recovery from mental illness - and beyond. From this, the audience learned many things about my life and about that strange phenomenon, hearing voices. But, telling people my story through the spoken word is only a small part of how I spend my days. As regular visitors to this website know (and new visitors are finding out), my passion lies more in the written word - as testified by the constantly evolving nature of the website.
On careful reflection, I can safely say that whether speaking or writing, I set out not to teach anybody anything, but rather to make people think. This gets us straight back to where we started - to our old friend Socrates. As well as making this pithy point about the aim and purpose of the educator (which should never be forgotten), Socrates also famously declared that, The unexamined life is not worth living - another memorable quotation which gives us even more food for thought. And, how do I know all this?
You may well ask.
In short, my interest in philosophy isn't new by any means, but - for the very first time - it is structured around a specific course and this at an advanced level. I touched on this fact in last week's THINK(!) article which is now stored in the ARCHIVES easily found by clicking on PUBLISHING. More accessible, and perhaps more palatable to some than a formal course, is a new book on the subject. This was recently bought (by me) to add a different dimension to the 'serious' work upon which I am engaged as an Open University student. For the purpose of this blog, I will be using selected gems from the book in question as and when the occasion demands - which will be more or less constantly!
I'm only part way through reading the book, but the often-missed humour of philosophy (and the author) is already leaking out through every page. Here's an early quotation from said book, a few words that rather neatly sums up the source of the intriguing title, Breakfast with Socrates:
"Given that Socrates was assassinated by poison, you might think twice before accepting his invitation to breakfast. Yet what got him killed is exactly what would make him an excellent breakfast companion - his curiosity." SMITH, p. 1
There - we've got it in one! Socrates was finally (and forever) silenced because he asked too many questions and for getting up people's noses in a most annoying way. This unbridled curiosity 'led him to bring everything, from the purpose of the law to the origin of sex, into doubt'. We are told that any conversation with Socrates - whether it be at breakfast or any other meal - would involve an interrogation around why you choose to lead the life you do, or what value you have as a person. You might either take offence (as did the State that sentenced him to death) or you might instead go with it and join Socrates, the Father of Philosophy, on an extraordinary mental journey. Significant for those of us interested in happiness and wellbeing in this present age, he might set out the reasons for being good and tell you why being good is more important than being happy. Also, significant to those with an interest in mental health (and haven't we all), Socrates might go on to explain why genius and madness are so closely linked.
But, we'll not go there - not today.
Instead, a good place to finish this second article in a series about philosophy is to say that Socrates preferred dialogue rather than speech-making. His manner of operating would be to engage you in conversation and get you to reflect on your self and your actions in such a way as to lend them greater meaning or inspire you to make changes, and so he would help you create the meaning that your life lacked. Here's a little something to bear in mind. The word philosophy means love of wisdom and it is as well to note that being wise is not the same as being clever - despite what many believe. I have space to say no more, other than, having finished breakfast, our buddy Socrates would be just as interested in how much to tip the waiter as in whether or not God exists.
I will use the Open University's course material for A211 Philosophy and the Human Situation sparingly - as indeed prudence demands. I will try, rather, to relate philosophy to everyday concerns and hopefully show how history's greatest ideas - not just from philosophy but also from psychology, sociology and politics - impinge to the way we live our lives and how we can become more thoughtful about how to best use our time. Rest assured, the big ideas will still be there, but grounded in everyday experience. It remains only to say that, somewhere along the line, we will be looking at whether Nietzsche can improve your commute to work and what Freud would think about your retail therapy. I, for one, will be more than a little interested to hear what Plato has to say on the way that we read books as I have already discovered - to my cost - that my usual speedy style of reading is counter-productive when doing philosophy!
The advice is to slow down and enjoy ... think!
Finally, to whet your appetite and persuade you to buy the book, here's a quotation plucked straight from the fly-cover of Breakfast with Socrates,
"Robert Rowland Smith shows how your everyday life can be improved by considering the world's most interesting ideas. Breakfast, as well as lunch and dinner - and everything before and after - will never be the same again." BREAKFAST WITH SOCRATES
If I were to now say that you might, in the coming weeks, find someone called Lucretius explaining why it's good to be unprepared and another philosopher called Emerson advising you on booking a holiday, this too might help persuade you to join me again. Oh! and I nearly forgot to say that we might even get the low down on sex from some wise guy called Aristophanes. Sounds interesting. So, I'll see you soon when I'll be using Robert Rowland Smith's admirable book (and anything else that comes to hand) to consider the wonderful phenomenon of simply waking up in the morning. I leave you to think on this quote,
'predictable and unpredictable in equal measure, waking up is a paradox - a kink in the straight logic of things.' SMITH, p 5
So, philosophy - simply put - is all about consciousness, 'what it is to think, to feel, to know, to believe, to sense, to perceive, to act, to choose, to like, to love, to do good, and to do evil.' These activities all belong to the realm of waking rather than sleeping. Get the connection? Well ... whatever ...
I rather think we all need a pick me up after all that
and here it is,
Thumbs up for doing philosophy. You (and I) are doing just great!
Marian
SOCRATES' QUOTES WORTH REMEMBERING
'I cannot teach anybody anything, I can only make them think.'
'The unexamined life is not worth living.'
REFERENCE
SMITH, ROBERT ROWLAND (2009), Breakfast with Socrates: The Philosophy of Everyday Life, London, pub. Profile Books.
RECOMMENDATION
‘I am often asked to recommend a good introduction to philosophy - now I've discovered one. There are plenty of books but mostly they're either the 'wrong kind' of philosophy or they are terribly written. Smith's work is witty, inventive and intelligent - Carl Schmitt on arguing with your partner, Jacques Derrida on booking a holiday - and brilliantly shows how grounded High Theory really is.’
Times Higher Education Supplement
CHANGE YOUR THOUGHTS, CHANGE YOUR LIFE
Click and enjoy
Dr. Wayne Dyer: Living the Wisdom of the Tao
Socrates quote until the next time:
“He is nearest to God who needs the fewest things.”
- ENDS -
