Tag: Socrates
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The death of Socrates and common hemlock
Umut AkovaAnkara, Turkey Socrates (469–399 BC) was the ancient Greek philosopher most often credited with pioneering Western philosophy and with founding the Socratic method, a dialectical approach to questioning and critical thinking. Known for his pursuit of ethical truths and moral principles, he engaged individuals in open-ended discussions that often revealed contradictions in their beliefs.…
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The other Timothy Leary
Saty Satya-Murti Santa Maria, California, United States Figure-1: Timothy Leary at work, circa 1920. Credit: Digital Collections and Archives, Tufts University. Source Most people know the name of Timothy Leary as an American counterculture guru and psychologist who had a massive following in the mid-twentieth century. He invoked the names of Gandhi, Jesus, and…
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Where philosophy and medicine overlap
Mariami ShanshashviliTbilisi, Georgia In Plato’s Charmides there is a remark by Socrates that is neither distinctively impressive nor remarkably original but interesting for the notably broad range of references, including the perception characteristic to ancient Greeks, the origins of the Greek medicine, and the philosophy of Empedocles, Alcmaeon, and other Pre-Socratics.1 In this passage young…
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A happy individual knows nothing
Basil Brooke Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa Socrates and his students. Seljuk manuscript, early 13th century. Mubashshir ibn Fātik. Topkapi Palace Museum, Istanbul It seems that most people, most of the time, tend to avoid the really big questions, the hows and whys of existence, preferring to wait and see what happens when they die.…
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In defense of good pimping: the Socratic method
Gregory M Marcus San Francisco, California, USA Socrates was executed for berating ancient Athenians with questions in order to test their knowledge. I try to keep this in mind when badgering trainees for the same purpose. Of course, questioning to the point of what is maybe best described as “learner discomfort” is no longer…
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Socrates on clinical excellence
George Dunea Chicago, IL Originally published in The Lancet, September 1, 1973, pp. 493–494 The year is 410 B.C. Socrates and the physician Democedes are walking in a shady grove on the road to Megara. Dem: Can you tell me, Socrates, how does one achieve excellence in clinical medicine? Can excellence be taught,…