Socrates (o filósofo!, não é o outro...)

Philosophical message:

(Keep this in mind the next time you are about to repeat a rumour.)

Socrates:

In ancient Greece (469 - 399 BC), Socrates was widely lauded for his wisdom.

One day, an acquaintance ran up to him excitedly and said, 'Socrates,
do you know what I just heard about one of your students?' 'Wait a
moment,' Socrates replied, 'Before you tell me I'd like you to pass a
little test. It's called the Triple Filter Test'.

'Triple filter?'
asked the acquaintance.
'That's right,' Socrates continued. 'Before you talk to me about my
student let's take a moment to filter what you're going to say.

The first filter is Truth. Have you made absolutely sure that what you
are about to tell me is true?' 'No,' the man said, 'actually I just
heard about it.' 'All right,' said Socrates. 'So you don't really know
if it's true or not.

Now let's try the second filter, the filter of Goodness. Is what you
are about to tell me about my student something good?' 'No, on the
contrary ....'. 'So,' Socrates continued, 'you want to tell me
something bad about him, even though you're not certain it's true?'.
The man shrugged, a little embarrassed. Socrates continued.'

You may still pass the test though, because there is a third filter -
the filter of Usefulness. Is what you want to tell me about my student
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?' The man was defeated and
ashamed.

This is the reason Socrates was a great philosopher and held in such
high esteem.




It also explains why he never found out that Plato was shagging his wife.