I know this subject got me into trouble once before, and I would much
rather respond to Michael's
wonderful post, but I have an "immediate" matter to discuss. We have been reading the Euthyphro in one of my classes, and I have been arguing, rather forcefully, that the only way to appreciate/understand what's going on in the text, is to presume that Socrates is being genuine, perhaps even authentic. That is to say, he really does believe that Euthyphro can tell him what piety is and thus, perhaps save his life, or at least help him better orient himself to the trial. As the students examine this argument, I include myself, claiming that this directed ("determinate" would be something like Heidegger's word here) open way of proceeding is also genuinely true of my approach to teaching. My questioning is "real," not a pedagogical device.
I was driving later in my car wondering whether I really believed that, and then on came a Leonard Cohen C.D. with the man singing " Joan of Arc." I was deeply taken in by the performance and experienced myself in the narrative, in love with the woman as he was etc. , etc. Then I thought, maybe Socrates or at least Plato was performing his teaching similarly, and maybe sometimes, perhaps even oftentimes, so am I, singing my lines as as if for the first time. And when it's good, it is ( I think!).
Regards,
Allen (still wondering what to do with his life)
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wonderful post, but I have an "immediate" matter to discuss. We have been reading the Euthyphro in one of my classes, and I have been arguing, rather forcefully, that the only way to appreciate/understand what's going on in the text, is to presume that Socrates is being genuine, perhaps even authentic. That is to say, he really does believe that Euthyphro can tell him what piety is and thus, perhaps save his life, or at least help him better orient himself to the trial. As the students examine this argument, I include myself, claiming that this directed ("determinate" would be something like Heidegger's word here) open way of proceeding is also genuinely true of my approach to teaching. My questioning is "real," not a pedagogical device.
I was driving later in my car wondering whether I really believed that, and then on came a Leonard Cohen C.D. with the man singing " Joan of Arc." I was deeply taken in by the performance and experienced myself in the narrative, in love with the woman as he was etc. , etc. Then I thought, maybe Socrates or at least Plato was performing his teaching similarly, and maybe sometimes, perhaps even oftentimes, so am I, singing my lines as as if for the first time. And when it's good, it is ( I think!).
Regards,
Allen (still wondering what to do with his life)
--- from list heidegger@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx ---