Old Socrates Lesson
There is some truth to this… also some practicality…
Keep this philosophy in mind the next time you either hear or are about to repeat a rumor.
In ancient Greece (469 - 399 BC), Socrates was widely lauded for his wisdom.
One day the great philosopher came upon an acquaintance that ran up to him excitedly and said, “Socrates, do you know what I just heard about one of your students?”
“Wait a moment,” Socrates replied. “Before you tell me I’d like you to pass a little test. It’s called the Test of Three.”
“Three?”
“That’s right,” Socrates continued. "Before you talk to me about my student let’s take a moment to test what you’re going to say. The first test is Truth. Have you made absolutely sure that what you are about to tell me is
true?“
No,” the man said, “actually I just heard about it.”
“All right,” said Socrates. “So you don’t really know if it’s true or not.
Now let’s try the second test, the test of Goodness. Is what you are about to tell me about my student something good?”
“No, on the contrary…”
“So,” Socrates continued, "you want to tell me something bad about him even though you’re not certain it’s true?"
The man shrugged, a little embarrassed.
Socrates continued. “You may still pass though, because there is a third test - the filter of Usefulness. Is what you want to tell me about my student going to be useful to me?”
“No, not really…”
“Well,” concluded Socrates, "if what you want to tell me is neither True nor Good nor even Useful, why tell it to me at all?"
The man was defeated and ashamed. This is the reason Socrates was a great philosopher and held in such high esteem.
It also explains why he never found out that Plato was banging his wife.
Hey! Don’t pick on Socrates! 
i am offended!!
isaac
sweeeeeet
Great punchline! 
the thing is, there would have been some age difference, sort of a Mrs. Robinson thing I guess, and anyway, wouldn’t Acibiades have figured in things? 
socrates was gay - the wife was a front…
isaac
| Quote (idover @ July 27 2005,13:43) |
| socrates was gay - the wife was a front... isaac |
THAT explains a LOT!
TG
It was a Platonic relationship, however.
| Quote (TomS @ July 27 2005,15:56) |
| It was a Platonic relationship, however. |
ha!!
isaac
Heh. Good one Tom!
TG
I’m totally offended by this!
So-Crates was not gay, he was chasing the girls in Bill and Ted’s Excellant Adventure. 
Wasn’t Socrates the one who was forced to commit suicide by drinking hemlock for the crime of atheism?
I just thank Zeus/Jehovah/Mormo/Bapto/(insert the god of your choice) that there’s no Athenian moderators on this forum!
No, it was really for “corrupting the youth of Athens.” The atheism thing was a sham, since the indictment also said something about believing in false gods too. 
Really, the relationship was Platonic. Athenian gossips thought is was hilarious that the uglist man in Athens (Soc) was being wooed by the most beautiful (Al) and apparently Soc spurned Al’s advances.