Donald Robertson

justice than helping your friends and harming your enemies or there's more to courage than just standing your ground and remaining the phalanx formation and maybe i've kind of spiraled closer and closer to the center of the meaning of these concepts so in the process of doing that he'd often point out contradictions in people's thinking um he said that what you're saying now is seems to clash with something that you said a few minutes ago

justice than helping your friends and harming your enemies or there's more to courage than just standing your ground and remaining the phalanx formation and maybe i've kind of spiraled closer and closer to the center of the meaning of these concepts so in the process of doing that he'd often point out contradictions in people's thinking um he said that what you're saying now is seems to clash with something that you said a few minutes ago

So he was very sharp at noticing this. And, you know, I think one of the ways that that can help us today actually is there's a particular type of contradiction that Socrates would sometimes point out, a moral contradiction. I'll give you another example where he's talking to a teenage boy, an adolescent boy. There's a guy called Cretobolus that comes to him.

So he was very sharp at noticing this. And, you know, I think one of the ways that that can help us today actually is there's a particular type of contradiction that Socrates would sometimes point out, a moral contradiction. I'll give you another example where he's talking to a teenage boy, an adolescent boy. There's a guy called Cretobolus that comes to him.

So he was very sharp at noticing this. And, you know, I think one of the ways that that can help us today actually is there's a particular type of contradiction that Socrates would sometimes point out, a moral contradiction. I'll give you another example where he's talking to a teenage boy, an adolescent boy. There's a guy called Cretobolus that comes to him.

who's the son of one of his best friends, Crito. And Cretopolis says, Socrates, could you introduce me to some people that would be really good friends to have in Athenian society? He's asking him for help networking, weirdly, right? And Socrates says, sure. Like, how would you define a good friend? And Cretopolis says, well, they'd come and visit you when you're sick.

who's the son of one of his best friends, Crito. And Cretopolis says, Socrates, could you introduce me to some people that would be really good friends to have in Athenian society? He's asking him for help networking, weirdly, right? And Socrates says, sure. Like, how would you define a good friend? And Cretopolis says, well, they'd come and visit you when you're sick.

who's the son of one of his best friends, Crito. And Cretopolis says, Socrates, could you introduce me to some people that would be really good friends to have in Athenian society? He's asking him for help networking, weirdly, right? And Socrates says, sure. Like, how would you define a good friend? And Cretopolis says, well, they'd come and visit you when you're sick.

Maybe they'd lend you money if you're broke. Maybe if you were being a bit out of order, they'd take you to one side and gently kind of explain to you that you should change your behavior and stuff like that. So quite easily, he's able to kind of define what a good friend is. But then Socrates says, well, how many of these qualities do you exhibit yourself?

Maybe they'd lend you money if you're broke. Maybe if you were being a bit out of order, they'd take you to one side and gently kind of explain to you that you should change your behavior and stuff like that. So quite easily, he's able to kind of define what a good friend is. But then Socrates says, well, how many of these qualities do you exhibit yourself?

Maybe they'd lend you money if you're broke. Maybe if you were being a bit out of order, they'd take you to one side and gently kind of explain to you that you should change your behavior and stuff like that. So quite easily, he's able to kind of define what a good friend is. But then Socrates says, well, how many of these qualities do you exhibit yourself?

And Cretopolis is like, well, not many, like, you know, zero. I don't know. So Socrates says, again, haven't you got this back to front? You're kind of asking me to present you to these people as if you would be a good match, as if you would be a good friend to them. But they're bound to figure out if you don't have any of these qualities, and then they won't trust me as a matchmaker of friends.

And Cretopolis is like, well, not many, like, you know, zero. I don't know. So Socrates says, again, haven't you got this back to front? You're kind of asking me to present you to these people as if you would be a good match, as if you would be a good friend to them. But they're bound to figure out if you don't have any of these qualities, and then they won't trust me as a matchmaker of friends.

And Cretopolis is like, well, not many, like, you know, zero. I don't know. So Socrates says, again, haven't you got this back to front? You're kind of asking me to present you to these people as if you would be a good match, as if you would be a good friend to them. But they're bound to figure out if you don't have any of these qualities, and then they won't trust me as a matchmaker of friends.

And they're going to lose faith in you as a friend as well. You should have come to me and asked me how you could become a good friend yourself, how you could improve yourself. So you're exhibiting a double standard. You're applying one standard to other people in terms of friendship, but a different standard or no standard to yourself. This is a kind of moral hypocrisy, if you like.

And they're going to lose faith in you as a friend as well. You should have come to me and asked me how you could become a good friend yourself, how you could improve yourself. So you're exhibiting a double standard. You're applying one standard to other people in terms of friendship, but a different standard or no standard to yourself. This is a kind of moral hypocrisy, if you like.

And they're going to lose faith in you as a friend as well. You should have come to me and asked me how you could become a good friend yourself, how you could improve yourself. So you're exhibiting a double standard. You're applying one standard to other people in terms of friendship, but a different standard or no standard to yourself. This is a kind of moral hypocrisy, if you like.

So often Socrates is drawing people's attention to the fact that they're exhibiting moral double standards. And we do similar things in modern cognitive therapy as well. Sometimes people think philosophical ethics can be quite subtle and quite nuanced, and it often is. But in many cases, we can make moral progress, I think, just by not being hypocrites.

So often Socrates is drawing people's attention to the fact that they're exhibiting moral double standards. And we do similar things in modern cognitive therapy as well. Sometimes people think philosophical ethics can be quite subtle and quite nuanced, and it often is. But in many cases, we can make moral progress, I think, just by not being hypocrites.

So often Socrates is drawing people's attention to the fact that they're exhibiting moral double standards. And we do similar things in modern cognitive therapy as well. Sometimes people think philosophical ethics can be quite subtle and quite nuanced, and it often is. But in many cases, we can make moral progress, I think, just by not being hypocrites.