What would Socrates do?

What would Socrates do?

Socrates sought to save Athenian society by making it self-critical.

Imagine that you and many other colorblind people live on this isolated island. All inhabitants are colorblind from birth and know nothing about color; there is no word for color in their vocabulary.

Assume Fred is a health nut who exercises constantly and is always advising others to start a strict exercise routine for their health. Fred is well liked but most people on the island think that he over emphasizes the value of exercise.

One day after pursuing a specific exercises routine Fred become conscious of color. He is shocked and frightened and discontinues the exercise. Many weeks later curiosity gets the best of him and he returns to the exercise routine and there again appears the perception of color.

Fred experiments with this matter and concludes that when he performs the afore mentioned exercise routine he can perceive color constantly.

If you were Fred would you inform your friends and acquaintances of this occurrence?

How would you explain this perception to others?

How would others respond to your efforts to explain what happened?

I suspect most individuals would walk away from such seeming non-sense with a shrug and a grin. Suppose some of those making the proscribed effort found it to be a bore and a struggle and lost enthusiasm.

Does this little game of make-believe give you a better appreciation of why the Athenians executed Socrates for 'corrupting the youth'?

There is no self in society , it depends on others.
By turning the mirror onto society it dissolves.
It would be better to say Socrates sought to save the individuals from the society.

Any attempts to inform will lead to false ideas of the phenomenon. If a blind man accumulates all the knowledge of light he will be so sure he knows light, that the day light reaches
he will miss.
If a person has yet to experience the taste of chocolate, I would point them in the direction of it. Trust is needed here, without it he may think that what he has been giving might taste like shit and never experience it.
No man ever gets more than he deserves, if his inquiry is sincere he will taste no matter what effort or non-effort is required.
Only those who know the phenomenon could respond, but what is the need?Only those who have yet to taste will react to the opinion of others.

If you were Fred would you inform your friends and acquaintances of this occurrence? I would try to hide it but if you started seeing color when you've been living in a black and white world, you'd want to show someone.

How would you explain this perception to others? Since color isn't even in the vocabulary I would say it's something along the lines of nothing. Since it doesn't really exist but only a way to communicate...

How would others respond to your efforts to explain what happened? -_-


I suspect most individuals would walk away from such seeming non-sense with a shrug and a grin. Suppose some of those making the proscribed effort found it to be a bore and a struggle and lost enthusiasm.
Does this little game of make-believe give you a better appreciation of why the Athenians executed Socrates for 'corrupting the youth'? I don't think that Socrates necessiarly corrupted the youth but showed them that there was more than one way.

I wished to point out in my OP the difficulty that anyone faces when they try to introduce something very new to the general population. So I guess there is a great similarity between Socrates and Galileo in that regard.

"I wished to point out in my OP the difficulty that anyone faces when they try to introduce something very new to the general population."

Trying to introduce is a very subtle form of forcing. Until someone is ready to listen, they will resist--even if they appear to be going along or nodding.

"So I guess there is a great similarity between Socrates and Galileo in that regard."

Galileo was in search of the circumference, Socrates was in search of the center. Same pole--opposite ends.

I do believe some people will listen to new ideas, it just takes a long time before most people do. Ideas from philosiphers are usually influencial many years after they have died.