UnkleRukus wrote:
A few thousand years too late
RIP.
In ancient Greece, Socrates was reputed to hold knowledge in
high esteem. One day an acquaintance met the great
philosopher and said, "Socrates, do you know what I have
just heard about your friend?"
"Say no more for the moment," Socrates replied. "Before
telling me anything else I want you to pass a Test. It is a
test in three stages that a human being must put himself to
before he utters a word".
"A Test in three stages?"
"That's right," Socrates continued. "Before you talk to me
about my friend, it might be a good idea to take a moment
and test what you're going to say. The first test is Truth.
Have you made absolutely sure that what your are are about
to tell me is true?"
"No," the man said, "actually I just heard about it and..."
"All right," interrupted Socrates. "So you do not really
know if it is true or not. Now try the second test, the
test of Goodness. Is what you are going to tell me about my
friend something good?"
"No, on the contrary..."
"So," Socrates continued, "you want to tell me something bad
about him but you are not certain it is true. You may still
pass the test though, because there is one stage left:
Usefulness. Is what you want to tell me about my friend
going to be useful to me?"
"No, not really."
"Well," concluded Socrates, "if what you want to tell me is
neither true nor good nor even useful, why tell it to me at
all?"
This is why Socrates was a great philosopher and held in
such high esteem.
It also explains why Socrates never found out his best
friend was banging his wife.