Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom,” I read aloud Aristotle’s quote written in bold on the agenda spreadsheet.
Sitting at my desk, thinking about those words, I felt a sort of connection.
The decisions you make, relationships you build and your personal philosophy is all based on how much you know yourself.
I believe knowing and understanding oneself is the foundation of everything one does. True understanding of oneself is the basis of free will and reason.
Over the summer, I had the opportunity to travel to Chicago for a week, participating in a program called The Great Connections Seminar. The course was based on Socratic seminars.
The Socratic discussion method is a way of learning for students and people where everyone sits in a circle and discusses a text and its meaning.
Socrates was a philosopher in ancient Greece. He would walk around the “Agora” or main marketplace and talk to people, constantly asking them open-ended questions to get them thinking.
At the program we read texts and poems by famous authors, entrepreneurs and intellectuals, analyzing writing and coming up with questions to discuss. The goal of this Socratic discussion process was to encourage understanding of the writing and context of a piece.
Learning through Socratic seminars is important for education because it allows students to think more deeply about what they’re reading. It gives them a chance to slow down and focus on one thing through organic thought, sparking thoughtful discussion.
It’s rare to have an experience like this to sit with open minded people and have civil discussion.
To me, the experience felt very different from a conventional high school class, where students are lectured and oftentimes told what to think. I was able to learn to interpret the texts in my own way and not be lazy with my reading.
The program was founded and run by author and educational entrepreneur, Marsha Familiaro Enright, who brings together a select group of high school and college students through an application with an interview every year.
A friend of mine who had done the program last summer told me about it, and she had really enjoyed her time there. So I went out on a whim and did it.
The program created many firsts for me. At first, the experience was nerve- wracking because I was so unfamiliar with everything: my first flight alone, my first time completely away from home without relatives, my first time staying in dorms and my first time in a new city with strangers.
The program taught me that while things may be hard to figure out in the beginning, like where baggage claim is, I can always work to figure it out. This happens when I present myself with confidence.
The program consisted of two to three Socratic discussions daily. The assignments, to prepare for the discussions, were to read texts and papers from the Great Books written by philosophers and intellectuals, including, Aristotle’s “Four Causes and DeAnima,” Ayn Rand’s “Philosophy: Who Needs It” and “The Objectivist Ethics,” James Madison’s “Federalist Paper No. 51,” and Montesquieu’s “Spirit of Laws” and many more.
While each of the texts were individual, they all connected to the broader theme of reason and free will. I liked the variety of different papers that were read, and as I was reading them, I was able to make connections between the different writings to each other.
Every morning we would gather at my dormitory piano room, to discuss a text’s purpose for a couple of hours.
One of the texts that were read was written by Enright herself, which was interesting because it provided me with a direct perspective.
Her writing discussed the importance of introspection, which is the act of knowing one’s own thoughts and feelings through rational thought, self-reflection and self-observation. They stimulated deep discussion on the meaning of introspection.
Through the Socratic method of being in a circle with peers in discussion, I felt that it was a helpful way for me to absorb the purpose of what I was reading, as compared to the way I would’ve approached a piece of writing on my own.
The most memorable reading we discussed was Maria Montessori’s “The Secret of Childhood.” This was a chapter from Montessori’s memoir, about her establishment of a school.
It was incredible and inspirational to read because one woman’s ideas changed the lives of millions of people through education.
In her writing, Montessori highlights how much she valued the education that children received.
It moved me because it’s not felt often that I feel that teachers really care about their teaching, that Montessori’s teaching is a learning method that has spread globally benefitting millions of people.
After reading this, it gave me a sense of aspiration to take action in children’s education.
While most of the discussion is student-led, it is kicked off and monitored by a teacher or “guide.” They provide students with questions and help students come up with their own.
The texts that we read were heavy and hard to understand, like the paragraph on selection of property from Locke’s “Second Treatise on Government” because the dense paragraph content and references were complicated.
It felt intimidating and unmotivating to read and learn about at first. But the way we analyzed and discussed them strengthened my understanding and critical thinking skills.
The discussions have made me more confident with my writing and reading of dense boks back at school.
Having staff members at the program participate in the discussions and ask me questions both gave me more opportunities to participate, but also allowed me to ask my own questions and gain understanding. Them asking me questions gave me more of an opening to give my insight.
Many students get nervous about Socratic discussions and having to participate. I felt the same way at the beginning of the program.
During the discussions, it was harder for me to participate because there was so much information and different perspectives that people were giving that I was trying to sort out in my mind.
I also didn’t feel very confident. I felt sometimes that I would be wrong with what I had to say.
I find that Socratic seminars are the best way to engage students and learners in any subject.
It can be intimidating, but it’s incredibly rewarding, opening up thoughts and processes that a student wouldn’t have normally been aware that they had.
Socratic discussion enables students to ask questions and lead their own learning.
Just during regular conversation with my peers, it motivated me to speak up and share my thoughts with others. Students get a sense of self agency and creativity in their participation.
The Great Connections program helped me find my full sense of agency, whether it was during the whole group discussions or during small conversations.
My intuition for speaking up for myself rather than letting things slide became stronger, and I found that I could successfully know myself better.