Modern Day Gadfly

Socrates was a man who left nothing unquestioned. He asks things of people so they had to look deep inside themselves to answer, and learn things about themselves in the process. He did this because if he TOLD them that their way of thinking was wrong, they wouldn’t listen. But by questioning them, they were forced to come to the answers themselves, and teaching the, this way was foolproof. None in the modern day could directly compare to the effectiveness of Socrates himself, but the idea of people learning things without being forcibly educated is not a new one. One television program entitled Saturday Night Live does this fairly well. They pose real events that challenge people long held opinions or beliefs, in interesting and funny ways where you don’t feel as though your beliefs are being questioned. After watching a skit that goes against the way you feel, you have to think to yourself “how DO I feel on this subject”. It makes you re-evaluate your position, or change your opinion altogether, and it does it by not DIRECTLY questioning your beliefs, but by taking a different, more humorous approach. This is somewhat different than Socrates approach, in which questions are asked of you, and then you must answer by looking at your own beliefs, but the effect is still the same. They way you feel your beliefs, must be re examined and questioned by yourself after being questioned by Socrates, or by watching a skit on SNL that involves a belief you feel strongly about.