Au Contraire, Socrates

Socrates was an "armchair man". That is to say, he believed in sitting down and contemplating, thinking everything over, before taking any action. If action was to be taken at all. His demeanor and the background of his teachings can be summed up as just think, think, think. Contemplate, and you will know. Look deep inside yourself, and you will see. Ask questions to yourself, and with time, you will find the answer within. But you know what, Socrates?

I disagree.

Of course, Socrates's position can be understandable considering the time period he grew up in. He was born into Athens, in Ancient Greece, which was a city of action and reaction. The Athenians even considered a man who did not actively participate in politics to be "useless". To say, if you did not have a strong opinion, or you did not act on it, your name was mud. And so to Socrates, who loved begin the rebel, sitting down and just contemplating for a bit was luxurious and a finger to the establishment. And for his spirit, I admire him.

But I cannot believe that I can formulate my own conclusions without going out and consciously testing them. I need to gather information, and then formulate a hypothesis. "Data, data, data, I cannot make bricks without clay." And I often find myself wrong when I try Socratic method. But that is not Socrates's fault. After all, he was elderly, late sixties, and he had a large knowledge base to draw upon. I, on the other hand, do not have the large data sets that come with old age. So while Socrates's method may have worked for him...

It just doesn't work for me. At least, not yet.