In era of bitter division, what would Socrates do?
“Can political discourse survive the culture wars — or is any discussion of the public good doomed to be ‘canceled’ by one side or the other?”
University of Chicago Philosopher Agnes Callard addressed this dilemma and ideas around free speech during a March 2023 lecture at Harvard’s Edmond & Lily Safra Center for Ethics.
Appealing to classical philosophy, Callard “explained how a Socratic argument relies on refutation, which pushes the other person to delve deeper and explain their argument, rather than on simply convincing a passive audience.” When describing Socrates’ approach, she explained, “He’s not trying to win. He’s trying to find out.”
In a nod to our current moment, Callard explained, “There’s something tragic about people who are in a context where they don’t have freedom to inquire, proclaiming their commitment to free speech or free expression or science or truth or nonconformism. They may be applauding and speaking out and raising their voices, but they’re not able to mean what they say.”