March 11, 1998
I just read your paper, and appreciate it very much. My initial thoughts
are that both the harsh, clever critiques you deplore and the
supportive, constructive approach (critical or not) you endorse seem to
be found in Plato. What I take to be the more popular dialogues among
philosophy teachers tend to model the harsh-and-clever approach (the
elenctic and aporetic dialogues), while those that show Socrates as
kinder and more supportive ("middle" dialogues that tend to be too
complex for beginners) aren't so often encountered until grad school, by
which time, perhaps, the harsher approach has become ingrained. (Then
there's the Republic, with the former approach in Book 1, the latter
thereafter; maybe Plato has a message here?). I've recently had occasion
to reread the Theaetetus and was struck by Socrates' combination of
gentleness, kindness, and rigor!
Frank Williams
Eastern Kentucky University
email: phiwilli@acs.eku.edu
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