"People did not go to Socrates to learn anything - he always insisted that he had nothing to teach them - but to have a change of mind. Participants in a Socratic dialogue discovered how little they knew and that the meaning of even the simplest proposition eluded them. The shock of ignorance and confusion represented a conversion to the philosophic life, which could not begin until you realized that you knew nothing at all.
... the Socratic dialogue was never aggressive; rather it was conducted with courtesy, gentleness, and consideration. If a dialogue aroused malice or spite, it would fail. There was no question of forcing your interlocutor to accept your point of view; instead, each offered his opinion as a gift to the others and allowed them to alter his own perception."
(The Case for God – Epilogue by Karen Armstrong)
This method of the Socratic dialogue was invented nearly two and a half-millennium ago. I wonder how many of our personal, social, cultural, religious, and political conflicts could be resolved if we start to favor such kind of thinking again. The world could become a much better place if we are able to rise above from our standpoint and give ourselves a chance to understand others' point of view.
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