Chapter 3: The Birth of the Alphabet and Socrates' protests- Part 2

In the second section of Chapter Three, Wolf discusses the protests by Socrates and why he didn't agree words should go into writing. In today's blog, I want to take each apart look at them, teasing them out and develop my own meaning.

Socrates

 

 

 

Socrates- the man, the myth, and the legend.... No. This doesn't seem right. We are not going John Pesenti here. However, Socrates left this earth with a deep legend, but nothing he ever talked about or theorized was written down. The things we know about him were talked about, shared through the generations, and never moved to written word by the man himself. Through his student, Plato, we were able to get some information written. Plato didn't necessary agree with Socrates about converting talk to the written word scribed many of their spoken dialogues. As Aristotle was mentored by Plato, he used these writings to be enamored by reading. Isn't that what we do as humans? If Momma doesn't like what we do, we are sure to do it and the granddaughter changes it and makes it better. :) I have story for this, but it will cause me to digress significantly, so let's move on.

In Chapter Three, the protests of Socrates, pending your Discourse, we could even question if these have become true. Socrates earnestly believed written word posed serious risks to society.

First Objection: Inflexibility of the Written Word
Due the Socratic method following the idea of answering, questioning, answering, questioning, the way we use his method in our classrooms around America would probably make him flip over in his grave. Or maybe the poison fried out his brain... anyway. Socrates truly believed that unlike the "dead" discourse of written words that when words were spoken that they had life. Spoken language had meaning, melody, rhythms. When they were spoken back, they could be dissected and pulled apart for further meaning. Socrates' subtle concern was could be mistaken for an actual reality. "Because they seem... as though they were intelligent and therefore closer to the reality of a thing, words can delude people, Socrates feared, into a superficial, false sense, that they understand something when they have only just begun to understand it" (Wolf, p. 73).

Since all of our teaching is within the confines of the written word, I think it has caused an inflexibility within our students. How many teachers have their students read and write within their classroom and never afford their students to talk about meaningful topics? To question ideals set forth by our culture? Why in a society where we are beginning to "talk" more and more through written language that we don't encourage them to use their voices?

Second Objection: Memory Destruction 
Throughout Socrates' teaching, he taught others through speech. Because nothing was ever written down by Socrates, his students had to hear everything and etch it to their memory right away. Socrates concluded "preserving the individual's memory and its role in the examination and embodiment of knowledge was more important than the indisputable advantage of writing in preserving cultural memory (Wolf, p.75). In the text, Wolf shares an interaction between Socrates and young Phaedrus. Socrates caught him using what is believed to be the first note-taking for a speech he was going to conduct at Lysias. To aid his memory, he wrote down key ideas and tucked it into his cloak. Because of this, Socrates launched in a diatribe about written words and their inability to aid instruction. (Meaning he rips his butt, up one side and down another.) He badgered him with the he was taken away from the true meaning of their words.

Since all of our teaching is within the confines of the written word,what would happen if we removed dictionaries from our classroom and had our students pine their way to meaning? What would this look like and how could it change classroom culture?

Third Objection: The Loss of Control over Language
 It is believed that Socrates did not actually fear reading. He feared the superficial understanding. He wanted his students to have a deep understanding and real awareness of words. As Socrates put it, "Once a thing, is put in writing, the composition, what it may be, drifts all over the place, getting into the hangs not only of those who understand it, but equally of those who have not business with it; it doesn't know how to address the right people, and not address the wrong. And when it is ill treated and unfairly abused it always needs its parent to com to its help, being unable to defend of help itself (Wolf, p. 76-77). Written word gave Socrates an uncertainty about the who, what, and how of reading. Who would read the text? What would they meaning be? How would they use it?

In the next part, Wolf begins to dissect how the brain learns to read over time. So, the adventure continues!