Critical Thinking and The Socratic Method
By: Justin Racculia
Tags: Critical Thinking, Life Lessons, Debate, Thoughts, Education

Preface: The art of thinking critically and the use of the Socratic Method have been studied and debated by many for thousands of years. With that said, it should also be known that I don’t claim to be an expert, but instead have a strong interest in strengthening my own understanding.

American culture is currently suffering from a deficiency in critical thinking skills and a lack of appreciation for the Socratic Method as a means to help us discern Truth from Falsehood.

As a result, society is experiencing a deficit in rational/logical thought and a lack of enthusiasm for profound intellectual conversation. Most importantly, this seems to be leading toward a worsening inability to discover even simple Truth. Critical thinking has been fundamental to the health and success of our society since the birth of this great country.

American Resilience

Since July of 1776, “We the People…” have been through a lot. We’ve survived several bloody conflicts. We’ve endured the revolution, a civil war, two world wars, and even a dangerous cold war.

During times of “peace,” we’ve found ourselves on the forefront of the fight for human rights such as the abolishment of slavery and the quest for equal civil and political rights for all.

We have led the world in the development of such cutting-edge technology as the creation of the smartphone, personal computers, and the global internet.

We have even led the world into space by being first to send men to the moon and by exploring the furthest reaches of our solar system. These historic achievements were first pioneered with government leadership through NASA (the National Aeronautics and Space Administration) and now by private corporations such as SpaceX and Blue Origin.

Our culture has achieved so much in its short 243-year life.

America has accomplished more in the way of prosperity, innovation, and cultural influence than even the mighty Roman Empire. Yet, even though each of us can live a far more advanced life than any Roman citizen at its peak, we too are beginning to struggle against forces that could very well lead to the annihilation of our way of life and what it means to be an American. Today, we are struggling once again over fundamental ideas.

What is “right” and “wrong?”

and What is “moral” and “immoral?”

and What is “just” and “unjust?”

American culture is at a crossroads. We can either continue to accept every person’s wild imaginations and half-baked theories at face value — without a shred of evidence to support them — or we can use critical thinking and the Socratic Method to effectively weigh these ideas and properly discern which are true.

It is up to us to decide.

“Those who stand for nothing fall for anything”

Alexander Hamilton

The Fundamental Truth of Critical Thinking

Similar to attaining wisdom, critical thinking is a skill that must be learned over time. However, the key importance of critical thinking is that it can be used to discern the authenticity of the information we receive, whether from television, books, the evening news, our closest friends, or even strangers on social media. It is the skill we use to help us avoid the lies, deceit, and deplorable ideas that come from even seemingly irreproachable people.

Critical thinking is our guide to finding Truth.

However, it isn’t about the knowledge you gain, the experiences you’ve had, nor the gifts you may have been born with that determine its strength (even if you were born with a photographic memory or a brain faster than a calculator), instead, it all depends on how every person uses their gifts in tandem.

It is the process of giving someone the benefit of the doubt in the moment, but then verifying the information before sharing it with someone else.

It is understanding that what you see and hear may not always be the whole Truth.

In a world where the entirety of human history and understanding is accessible from a single device we can keep in our pocket, we still struggle as a culture to answer even the simplest questions. Critical thinking is a skill that too many have chosen to ignore and it is the reason society is experiencing so much confusion today.

With the proliferation of internet-connected devices, the vast majority of people receive the bulk of their news and information from newspaper headlines, Op-Ed articles, or even Facebook posts.

Instead of looking into the issue themselves and attempting to discern why the argument for such and such is being made, many choose to simply accept what they read at face value, usually because it just sounds good, appeals to their emotions, or is consistent with their simple world view. Then they unwittingly spread that false information to others.

These people have chosen to abandon critical thinking and make no effort to discern whether the information is True or not.

This has become such a problem in our culture that it has even caught the attention of major tech companies. In an effort to curb this problem, Facebook, for example is developing systems to detect “fake news” or “false information” before it has the chance to spread. However, the problem lies not with Facebook’s push to rid the internet of “false information” (which in itself is a heroic goal!), but instead with how they intend to go about it. They themselves often fall victim to ideology and political correctness instead of critical thinking to establish what they accept as Truth.

Who is it that will determine what is false and fake vs. what is True and genuine?

“Everything we hear is an opinion, Not a Fact. Everything we see is a perspective, Not the Truth.”

Marcus Aurelius

Demand for the Socratic Method

This is where the efforts of Socrates and the aforementioned Socratic Method come into play. This method of reasoning was born as a check and balance to human intuition. As previously stated, critical thinking does not consist of any one piece of knowledge, one all encompassing experience, or some beneficial genetic mutation…instead, it is the culmination of all of these things used together that gives us a better ability to discern the information we receive. It is the skill that helps us determine what is rational and logical in our world, rather than falling for what is irrational or illogical.

The Socratic Method is how we arrive at these conclusions. It is the discerning process that is used when we want to discover the authenticity or feasibility of an idea.

The Classical Version

There are two prominent versions of the Socratic Method that still have a place in our lives today. The first is known simply as the “Classical” version. In this form, the Socratic Method is used as a way to delve further into an idea or a “Truth” than most are prepared to go. It is a system that uses critical thinking to dive into a topic by asking the question, “Why?” at almost every turn.

The point of this exercise is to breakdown a topic or idea into its most basic pieces by using an individual’s or group of individual’s collective knowledge, experience, and natural born talents to reach a rational and logical answer. However, this doesn’t mean that an answer can always be reached. The key distinction being that neither party knows what the final answer will be. For instance, when delving into questions similar to one as open ended and subjective as “What is the meaning of life?” a final answer may never be found.

In addition, Socrates attempted to use this version of the method in order to show how little others understand about their own beliefs. For instance, he would routinely switch the roles and make himself the student who knew nothing and had his students, now the teachers, work to explain moral concepts to him such as virtue, courage, joy, friendship, etc. In doing so, he showed his students where their mental “hiccups” were and how they have not always examined their beliefs as much as they thought.

Often infuriating, the Classical version of the Socratic Method is a powerful tool to use when trying to understand the potential pitfalls and inaccuracies in someone’s ideas. It is a key first step in using critical thinking skills to determine the Truth.

The Modern Version

The second form of the Socratic Method is referred to as the “Modern” version. In this system, the focus is on one party knowing the final answer to a preconceived line of questioning. As a result, the party that knows the final answer ahead of time, in this case the teacher, attempts to sway the student to their way of thinking. As a result, this version of the Socratic Method is more commonly used when in a debate or attempting to poke holes in someone else’s argument. By proving the student’s logic, is in fact illogical, the teacher is in a better position to persuade the student to the final answer.

In addition, by taking part in this debate format the teacher is better able to reinforce the beliefs in their own argument as they consistently subject it to others. As a result, individuals that consistently debate those that disagree with them have a better understanding of both their argument as well as their opposition’s.

Therefore, the Modern version is the most prevalent today. However, both versions of the Socratic Method are important when attempting to strengthen critical thinking skills and determine the Truth.

The Obligation to Fact-Check

After covering the foundation of critical thinking and understanding the current demand for the Socratic Method, it is important to remember that we must remain humble.

Ideas are powerful forces of nature. They can topple governments, birth revolutions, or change the course of human history.

“With Great Power comes Great Responsibility.”

As a result, we are obligated to fact-check every idea that we hear. This isn’t to say that you shouldn’t give someone the benefit of the doubt, but it does mean you are duty-bound to learn the Truth before you share that idea with others. Working through the methodology of the Socratic Method is how you’ll determine whether something is false and fake, or True and genuine.

“Do not be so open-minded that your brains fall out.”

G.K. Chesterton

In every case, it is our duty as American’s to fact-check every idea that crosses our path. There are too many people who want to twist the very fabric of our culture to support their “truths”, rather than support the Truth.

Therefore, we must remain vigilant in our ever-changing world and constantly work to silence poisonous ideas before they have time to spread.

We all must man the line against deceit, lies, and the deplorable ideas that come from even the most seemingly irreproachable of people.

In God we trust, all others we verify!