- "Is it possible to be too curious?" I ask out loud. (I don't know, but he asked the same question three times in this chapter, pages 195, 198, and 199).
- "Is it possible to be too curious?" I again ask the Philosophers Club members.
- "Is it possible to be too curious?"
- "We need to start asking: Is this really the best way to ask this question? Or are there other ways, ways that might lead to more fruitful answers?" (p. 194).
- "Does anyone have the right to be ignorant?" (p. 200).
- "Is all education a process of making someone less ignorant?" (p. 202).
- "Is it possible to envision a society in which the gap between rich and poor is much less dramatic than it is now? Are you responsible for the well-being of your fellow humans?" (p. 209).
What will you remember about this book?
2 comments:
"Implicit within the 'Socratic virtues' is this injunction: You can only attain human excellence if you also strive to make it possible for your fellow humans to do so too" (p. 210).
I will start by asking, "What is human excellence? What scale do you use to measure it?
In the website for the Institute for Human Excellence http://www.ihexcellence.org/human-excellence/human-excellence.php
"It is being the best we can be in every situation.
It is doing the best we can do in every endeavor"
That sound like an exhausting journey to an unattainable goal.
I would rather not have to travel on that path, particularly if I am required to make sure everyone else is traveling too. This sounds similar to the Christian idea of creating disciples so you can bring others to Christ, who in turn will bring others , and so on. Too often your own journey gets put aside as you help others start theirs. Can't we just be responsible for our own excellence as long as we don't hinder other people in their journey?
Emily's discussion on the goal proffered by the Institute for Human Excellence especially the comment that doing the best in every endeavor reminded me of my children's 4-H experience. Their motto is to "make the best better". It sounds innocent enough and a worthy goal, but as the kids became more involved in the competitive side of 4-H it sometimes took away from the joy of achievement as it was extremely difficult to have perfect projects and to be the best. Much was learned in 4-H, but I also thought that there are times when "good enough" is a less stressful and more practical goal.
I thought a good point made in this chapter was that rather than stating either-or questions, that one should try to find a better way to ask questions. Ahhhh..the quest for better questions.
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