Questioning the Majority

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2808374571100926940&hl=en#
-Self-confidence

A great deal of the time in these past few blogs I've stood by the optimistic idea that the majority knows best what it wants for itself. The entire time however there was always this nagging idea in the back of my mind that I was supporting an idea of conformity. A theory that the ideas of the whole should eclipse those of the individual. The video above is a small documentary on Socrates and the idea of self-confidence; how we should be hesitant to believe those in power simply because they appear to know what they are doing.

The video takes a look back at Socrates who encouraged questioning, not just his superiors, but anyone who would stop for a moment. Yes, he frustrated a great many people, but only because by asking someone a question like, "What is Justice?" the person gets the feeling that the asker knows the answer and is trying to show off. His questioning along with that demonstrated in the video demonstrated how people's beliefs tend to crumble when brought to question. The point of this wasn't to make Socrates seem smarter, but to encourage people to think for themselves about why they think what they think.

The secret ingredient is philosophers.

I recently ran into the infamous "Denny's Philosopher" with Kyler, who's basically this awesome waiter who sits and talks about philosophy with you while you eat. The experience just forces you to think about different things in your life; both the content of the talk and the moment itself. As I was trying to recount one of the topics we had discussed with a fellow employee at work she said "Well duh." and before I could respond I was kinda dumbstruck for a second.

What struck me wasn't her immediate acceptance of that one idea, but the fact that questioning one's beliefs shouldn't just happen because of a single moment. I'll admit that there's the traditional "near death" experience that causes one to question everything (like a push in the right direction), but in reality thinking through our beliefs shouldn't be an alien concept at all.

Socrates was all about every man/women putting real thought into why they live their lives the way they do. The video goes on to bless this ideal and I agree with the principle that it doesn't take a degree in philosophy to do so, nor one critical event. We all have the potential and should use it throughout our daily lives. In this light, perhaps I wasn't entirely wrong in my initial belief in the majority. If something is logical to us perhaps it can be right, but in the grand scheme of things my hope is that the majority is logical enough to think things through to see what is best. The important thing is to always try to think things through to ensure what you believe makes sense to you, not just because someone or many people says so.

It's vital to strike a balance though. Question everything in your life constantly and all you'll only ever be met with indecision in yourself. Be confident in what you believe, but don't be afraid to remind yourself why you think the way you do.

Never stop questioning (within reason).