What would Socrates do?
Socrates sought to save Athenian society by making it self-critical.
Imagine that you and many other colorblind people live on this isolated island. All inhabitants are colorblind from birth and know nothing about color; there is no word for color in their vocabulary.
Assume Fred is a health nut who exercises constantly and is always advising others to start a strict exercise routine for their health. Fred is well liked but most people on the island think that he over emphasizes the value of exercise.
One day after pursuing a specific exercises routine Fred become conscious of color. He is shocked and frightened and discontinues the exercise. Many weeks later curiosity gets the best of him and he returns to the exercise routine and there again appears the perception of color.
Fred experiments with this matter and concludes that when he performs the afore mentioned exercise routine he can perceive color constantly.
If you were Fred would you inform your friends and acquaintances of this occurrence?
How would you explain this perception to others?
How would others respond to your efforts to explain what happened?
I suspect most individuals would walk away from such seeming non-sense with a shrug and a grin. Suppose some of those making the proscribed effort found it to be a bore and a struggle and lost enthusiasm.
Does this little game of make-believe give you a better appreciation of why the Athenians executed Socrates for “corrupting the youth”?
