Socrates (470 – 399 B.C.) founded the Western tradition of independent thinking. He epitomized the "Golden Age" of Athens. Immortalized in Plato’s Dialogues, his famed Socratic Method has been acclaimed by keen thinkers in every age. But in his own time, his sharp questioning led to his being sentenced to death by hemlock.

Now, Socrates has returned to answer YOUR questions – about his life, about 5th century Athens, and about how you can become a better lifelong learner by using his six principles.

SOCRATES SAYS:

"You can become a better lifelong learner just the way I and my friends did in 5th century Athens.

1. Ask Questions
In every one of my Dialogues, with every person I encountered, I tried to pose questions that would steer the conversation onto interesting, useful, exhilarating ground. You can do this by making your questions open-ended." Rather than requesting specific information, pose questions that invite the other person to open up and reveal what they know, think, and feel. (Why not start now, with me!)

2. Know Thyself
Often, before entering a conversation, I would go into a kind of trance (see the opening of "The Symposium".) Some people thought I had an affliction like epilepsy – but I was merely getting in touch with my deepest values. Are there ways that have found useful, to align yourself with your essential convictions, as a way to engage with others more authentically and effectively?

3. Experience Eureka
I used metaphors to break through rigid thinking, like the parable of "The Cave" in "The Republic" (ask me about it!), which is a prophecy of virtual reality! Do or could YOU use "paradigm-breaking" techniques to jostle your thinking out of its usual channels?

4. Think for Yourself
Everyone I met in the streets of 5th century Athens seemed to be using "conventional wisdom" instead of thinking things through for themselves. The trouble was, these commonplaces all have their contraries: If you cite "Fools rush in where angels fear to tread," I can counter with "He who hesitates is lost." You cannot fall back on received wisdom to guide your life. Do you have ways to think your own thoughts?

5. Learn Together
All of us are smarter than any of us, as one of my living disciplines, Warren Bennis has documented in his book on great teams, "Organizing Genius." All of my thinking was done in collaboration with friends and colleagues, in dialogue form. Can you make greater use of other people to stimulate and refine your thinking?

6. Create Your Life
Sometimes in life you must break through your present armor, to reveal or open yourself to the next stage of growth – as I did with the Silenus (ask me about it!). Is there part of YOUR life which needs to be broken through, for new growth to occur?"

Dialog with Socrates - Chat Transcript
On August 23, 2000, About presented a rare opportunity to dialogue with Socrates, the wise and witty sage who has been inspiring people to think for themselves for 2,500 years. Topics discussed included the parable of The Cave, the importance of asking questions and knowing oneself, learning to learn, standardized tests, learning motivation and needs.