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Re: Should a Socratic Dialogue be attempted?

by Krambambuli (Curate)
on Oct 20, 2007 at 06:59 UTC ( [id://646145]=note: print w/replies, xml ) Need Help??


in reply to Should a Socratic Dialogue be attempted?

Great question, speaking out what probably every monk here feels now and then.

In earnest, The Importance of Being Socratic cannot be overvalued, IMO.

But on the other side, how many of us do have the talent to be really Socratic without looking harsh, annoying or rude?

It's a fine line there, and probably more often then not we do people less harm by giving them the fish and just telling them about the fishing rod then insisting on having them catch the fish by their own.

  • Comment on Re: Should a Socratic Dialogue be attempted?

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Re^2: Should a Socratic Dialogue be attempted?
by vrk (Chaplain) on Oct 20, 2007 at 09:23 UTC
Re^2: Should a Socratic Dialogue be attempted?
by papidave (Pilgrim) on Oct 24, 2007 at 21:41 UTC
    Your choice of metaphors is apt. As I have all-too-often said:,
    Give a man a fish, and he'll eat for a day;
    Teach a man to fish, and he'll spend his life savings on fishing tackle.
    This is not necessarily a bad thing -- the Perlish equivalent might be:
    Give a man a snippet, and his program will run for a day;
    Teach a man to use PM, and he'll never get back to that code he was supposed to write.
    Seriously, though, I think that the need for Socratic learning is related to the kind of question being asked. A general "what method do I use" question needs multiple answers, per TMTOWTDI. But a specific "why is this code fragment broken" question probably deserves a more direct answer.

    Determining whether or not I actually provide direct responses when I should do so is left as an exercise to the reader.

      Build a man a fire, and he'll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life. (Terry Pratchett)


      holli, /regexed monk/

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