Dialogue between Edward Wilson and Socrates? Chacho’s Morning Meeting – D59

For this morning meeting, we did something unusual. Chacho’s activity consisted in stating some conditions and then writing a dialogue about it. The conditions were that the dialogue must be between Edward O. Wilson and Socrates, in the moon, during Christmas season, and they would talk about the Rubrics of the MPC’ers. It was a great way to start the day with some creativity and imagination. We only had 10 minutes although it was more like 15 minutes, but anyways I didn’t finish it. I would eventually finish it because it was a very good exercise. 

Here is with what I came up with…

“Apology”, Plato, Dialogue 4 – D58

At 9:30 a.m. we continued reading The Apology by Plato. It was an interesting dialogue where we discussed the true meaning of humility and whether or not and why was Socrates humble. We also talked about the meaning of death.

Here are my notes of the dialogue and also some intriguing questions:

Dialogue 4 (10/12/12)

• Fear of death
• When we consider death there are a set of assumptions that don’t have justification.
• The only thing we can say is that we don’t know what death is.
• What is death?
• Risk aversion
• Does correlation tell us causality?
• If the future, by definition, is unpredictable, why don’t we live in fear?
• Pablito: We maintain a structure of beliefs, expectations, and imperfect information.
• Your actions are based on faith, well or not well founded.

• Socrates’ claim
• He doesn’t know, but he hasn’t made a claim that we cannot know.
• The notion of the scientific ethic is that of constant doubt, an openness of refutation.
• Religion is the only aspect where there are absolute truths.

• Wilson sees the universe as something of the same matter in which we can study all as the same
• Contrary to human action, anti-Austrian.

• Socrates the gadfly
• His teaching is annoying to the state.
• Jesus is another example.

• What is humility?
• Understanding that you don’t know everything.
• Capacity to recognize our errors and mistakes.
• Openness to learning. It doesn’t mean you don’t have expectations.
• Was Jesus open to learning?
• Teaching by questions and parables.

• Socrates: Do you have the right to judge me before judging yourself?

Plato’s “Apology” Dialogue 3 – D54

For the Epicycle 1 of this week on Classical Works, we continued reading Apology by Plato. It was very interesting and we discussed important parts of this work. The main questions were, Is Socrates atheist? If not, why and what does he believes? Is virtue a way to improve the soul? In what does he believes to be the ultimate end? Wisdom? Is it doing what’s right? Then, what is to be right? Is it to question and seek for the authentic quest for meaning?

Here are my notes of the dialogue:

Dialogue 3 (3/12/12)

• Of what is Socrates being prosecuted for?
• First charge: of being an atheist.
• Second charge: corrupting the young.

• Euthyphro: what is it that we revere that would be a guide to our action? And how do we know what should be revered?
• Euthyphro has no grounds on what to justify his reverence. That’s the main point of Socrates’ dialogue. 

• What is Socrates doing? (p. 5 - 10)
• Demonstrating Meletus’s contradiction: “He is not an atheist.”
• He is doing the right things.
• Conceit of knowledge
• He is doubting the legitimacy of the procedure, because the people charging him are ignorant at the charges.
• What is God according to Socrates?
• What is to have virtue? To be faithful and true to what they revere. For Socrates is that wisdom, doing the right thing?
• Who has no foundation of the truth, the real atheist?

• Did ever any man believe in horsemanship, and not in horses? or in flute-playing, and not in flute-players?
• He believes in cause and effect. I’m wise enough to realize that I don’t know the cause, and that what differentiates me from you. 

• Demonstrated preferences
• It’s your actions that defines you, not what you claim you do. Foundations of social science.
• Your actions reveal who you really are.
• “There you are mistaken: a man who is good for anything ought not to calculate the chance of living or dying; he ought only to consider whether in doing anything he is doing right or wrong - acting the part of a good man or of a bad.”

• Socrates knows that he doesn’t know, that’s his truth.
• The true, the beautiful, and the good.
• If we don’t cultivate the capacity to recognize it, we would not see it.

Majo’s Morning Meeting and Plato’s Apology Dialogue – D49

Today’s morning meeting was facilitated by Majo. She showed us three videos of Michael Stevens’ Youtube channel Vsauce. The first one was, What Color is a Mirror?, the second, YouDon’t Type Alone, and the third one, Whatis Déja Vu?. All of them are excellent; they are entertaining and educational, with many fun facts. Nice done Majo!

Later we clean up our spaces and have some individual work. Then, we had some kind-of Greek memory activity and then Plato’s Apology dialogue. The dialogue was very interesting and insightful, although I don’t think we have achieved a good level of inspection and deepness on the text during our dialogues. Mabe also pointed this out, and we decided to come more prepared to our dialogues, well read and with questions. Oh, and we had Karen Mayeens, Gabriel Calzada’s wife, as a guest. Although she didn’t say anything, her presence was nice.