Synopses & Reviews
Socrates has inspired and guided the brightest men and women for more than two thousand years. Now you can make him your mentor-to strengthen your thinking, enrich your life, and reach your goals.
In Socrates' Way, you meet Socrates face-to-face, hear his voice, and learn how he changes people's lives. The book provides step-by-step guidance on how to harness his methods to vastly enhance your own creativity and autonomy. Specifically, Socrates shares the seven keys to using one's mind to the utmost:
- Know thyself
- Grow with friends
- Ask great questions
- Strengthen your soul
- Verify everything
- Speak frankly
- Free your mind
You will master the famed "Socratic Method" for getting to the root of any problem; launch one of Socrates' exhilarating "Dialogues" among your colleagues at work, as well as at home; and sharpen and enliven your thinking. In short, you will discover the Socratic spirit in you.
About the Author
Ronald Gross has portrayed Socrates, and taught his methods and techniques, before more than 100,000 professionals and business people at major national conventions and conferences. The author of Peak Learning, The New Professionals, and The Lifelong Learner, Gross chairs the renowned University Seminar on Innovation at Columbia University in New York City.
Table of Contents
Socrates' Way Foreword:
by Michael J. Gelb Preface: Socrates, My Mentor
Introduction: Socrates' Life and Times-and Ours
1. Know Thyself
The unexamined life is not worth living
2. Ask Great Questions
My way toward the truth is to ask the right questions.
3. Think for Yourself
Do not be convinced by me. Be convinced by the truth.
4. Challenge Conventions
We must escape from the Cave of illusions.
5. Grow with Friends
A flame of wisdom illuminated and warmed us, which none of us could have ignited alone.
6. Speak the Truth
It has been my fixed principle to speak the truth.
7. Strengthen Your Soul
Oh, my friend, why so little care for your soul?
Socrates' Way for Women
To judge a person's capability by gender is like judging a man's intelligence by the amount of hair on his head.
Appendix A: Reading the Socratic Dialogues
Appendix B: Best Books on Socrates and Our Classical Heritage
Appendix C: Socrates and His World on the Web
Aknowledgments
The Socrates Project
Graduate Programs in the Classics in the United States and Canada
A Course on Socrates
Index