Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!uwm.edu!uakari.primate.wisc.edu!ginosko!usc!snorkelwacker!bloom-beacon!spdcc!merk!alliant!linus!mbunix!bwk
From: bwk@mbunix.mitre.org (Barry W. Kort)
Newsgroups: comp.ai
Subject: Re: Discovering What Nature Wants
Summary: How to succeed by failing.
Keywords: Consciousness and Intentionality.
Message-ID: <74894@linus.UUCP>
Date: 21 Oct 89 13:58:46 GMT
References: <357@massey.ac.nz> <2376@munnari.oz.au> <2394@uceng.UC.EDU> <2461@munnari.oz.au> <6596@ficc.uu.net>
Sender: news@linus.UUCP
Reply-To: bwk@mbunix (Barry Kort)
Organization: The TaoLight Zone, Ste. Elsewhen
Lines: 22

In article <6596@ficc.uu.net> jdk@ficc.uu.net (Jeff Klumpp) writes:

 > In article <2461@munnari.oz.au>, ok@cs.mu.oz.au (Richard O'Keefe) writes:

 > >  It's time I got some useful work done, and it has become evident that
 > >  trying to play Socrates in this group isn't getting me anywhere.
 >    ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

The goal of playing Socrates doesn't advance the emotional
well-being of the Socratic party.  One plays Socrates in
order to empower the others in the dialogue to discover how
to think.  I often use the Socratic Method when I teach
science to children.  It seems to work better than the
lecture method.

 >   Does it always imply failure?  *8^}

By design, the Socratic Method is intended to leave the student
with the feeling that he or she discovered the truth without
having it programmed in by an all-knowing authority figure. 

--Barry Kort