Shadowing Practice: SOCRATE - Philosopher par le dialogue - Learn English Speaking with Video

Creating lesson...
1
Socrates never wrote anything.
2
He professed a exclusively oral teaching, And all that we know of his thoughts has been reported by his disciples, in which Platon was given,
3
the author of "Dialogues Socratiques" which makes, by the way, It is sometimes difficult to differentiate what relates to Plato's thoughts or Socrates,
4
But still is it that The majority of the texts of Platon are the "mises in scene" of the dialogue of Socrate.
5
Socrate was first the king of provocation.
6
and the provocation was part of its method.
7
of his philosophy, And when I talk about provocation, I want to talk about provocation in the literal sense.
8
provoquer quelque chose, C create conditions for this thing to lie.
9
provoquer quelque chose, It's the fact MRG.
10
It leads to its event.
11
So the provocation is perhaps the word that sums up the best the philosophical practice of Socrates, tell qu 'elle se traduit à travers la maïotique.
12
So as I said, Socrate has never written any books.
13
It was not his way to do philosophy.
14
"Ecrire des livres".
15
Lui, They preferred to express themselves by conversation.
16
by the discussion, by dialogue.
17
He went to meet his citizens, Sur l 'Agora ?
18
and he would entame the discussion with them on a subject or on another.
19
And at this moment, He was going to put it in the middle of the day.
20
The thought in action.
21
He made the thought alive through dialogue.
22
It's to say that writing a book, It's exposing a thought of a fixed thought.
23
A thought about it or supposedly abouties.
24
A book is supposed to say that what is written is true.
25
and that the reader has no longer to read for instruction.
26
Autrement dit, There is in the philosophical book something very dogmatic.
27
And for Socrate, the dogmatism is precisely the antithesis of philosophy.
28
The philosophy cannot be expositioned.
29
It can't be something that we expose and that we have no longer to ingurgitate.
30
It's not that thought.
31
The nature of the thought is to be in movement.
32
It's always being built.
33
in the way to create.
34
For Socrate, the thought is a process.
35
The idea is to say that we don't pass directly from ignorance to knowledge.
36
We go through the steps, we go through the stages of knowledge, and each stage will lead to the next stage.
37
In the same way that when we learn math, we don't directly learn the second degree equations.
38
We start to learn how to count.
39
the positive numbers, And then we learn to add the numbers.
40
multiply, All right, divisez.
41
And so, from step by step, we arrive at mathematiques complex and abstract.
42
All learning is supposed to be steps.
43
And these steps need time.
44
They need to distance to what we learn.
45
Or for Socrate?
46
It is through dialogue that this distance of the thought can have a place.
47
And so, the dialogue appears as the best way to access the knowledge.
48
We will develop this idea in this video, but I would like you to remember this: For Socrates,
49
The exercise of the thought is an exercise of the thought.
50
L 'exercice de la pensée, It goes through the "mise in practice" of the thought.
51
And the practice of thinking is the formulation of the thinking, the verbalization of the thinking.
52
Autrement dit, La pensée en action, c 'est la pensée qui s 'exprime.
53
It's the thought in movement through dialogue.
54
For Socrates, it's the dialogue that allows the truth to be.
55
The truth is not a "list of annonces" a list of affirmations,
56
It's a process by which we replace our beliefs by knowledge.
57
And to come and get rid of our beliefs by knowledge, We need an interlocutor.
58
we need someone who will react to what we believe is true.
59
when we are all alone thinking about what we think.
60
we don't have a return to what we think.
61
which means that we can very well turn in a circle in our own own beliefs without ever going to go out.
62
even with the best will of the world.
63
We always need a reference.
64
We always need an external point of view.
65
The exterior point of view is the same.
66
It's what will allow us to make a return to our own thoughts.
67
It's what will allow us to enlarge our consciousness.
68
The consciousness can only be able to take care of the external points.
69
Otherwise, by the point of view which are not the nôtre.
70
There is no progress in the conscience, there is no elevation in the conscience, if there is no moment or another, in the way of being taken into account of the point of view of the other.
71
And the fact is that we are not able of understanding the point of view of autrui, if we don't confront ourselves.
72
if we don't have to do anything with someone.
73
in our expression expression.
74
When you ask someone advice, We are well aware that it does not mean that you will let the other think about your place.
75
It means that you have a conscience that you don't have all the information.
76
There may be an angle of view that you hit.
77
And it's normal.
78
Because we don't have all angles of view.
79
Our angles of view, They are the fruit of our personal life,
80
of our experience, of 1001 factors that have made our way of thinking.
81
Our way of thinking is, She is façonned by our living.
82
And when we take a conscience of that, When we understand that we don't have a science infuse, that we don't have the omniscience.
83
At this moment, we understand the role absolutely indispensable of the other in the construction of our thinking.
84
And that's what he believed in Socrates.
85
the idea that we needed the other to get into the consciousness.
86
to make progress our thinking.
87
D 'ailleurs, I'm going to say it in parentheses.
88
It's a good time today.
89
of consider that each has its own truth.
90
For Socrate, like for Platon, It doesn't exist.
91
We don't have each our own truth.
92
Because, by definition, the truth, "Elle est une".
93
and it is universal.
94
So each one has a truth, it doesn't have a sense.
95
It's not each one's truth, it's each one's conception of truth.
96
And that's very different.
97
It's very different because it puts in place the notion of subjectivity of knowledge.
98
The subjectivity of the knowledge doesn't mean that the truth is personal.
99
It means that each one has a look on the truth.
100
A bit like when you are on the road, and at a moment you have a panel that indicates a point of view.
101
You can stop at the end of the road and take advantage of a point of view on the landscape.
102
But from this point of view, It's your point of view.
103
and the people who are on the other side of the hill that you are looking at, these people have another point of view.
104
And it's the synthesis of all the views that, in a certain way, are the truth.
105
The truth is trans subjective.
106
It's the synthesis of subjectivity.
107
It's not the subjectivity itself.
108
The truth is not our point of view.
109
When you look at a "d", You don't see a "D".
110
You can see all the more three faces of the day.
111
Make an experience!
112
Look at the day.
113
and you will see that you only see three faces of the day.
114
Of course you know that the other faces exist, but you can't see them all at the same time.
115
That's the problem with subjectivity.
116
The problem of subjectivity is the problem that you have to do another subjectivity to respond.
117
And to complete, your own subjectivity.

Context & Background

The video titled "SOCRATE - Philosopher par le dialogue" explores the philosophical methods of Socrates, a significant figure in Western philosophy renowned for his unique approach to teaching and dialogue. Socrates eschewed written texts, believing instead that true knowledge emerges through interactive conversation. His teachings were predominantly recorded by his followers, particularly Plato, making it sometimes challenging to distinguish Socratic thoughts from Plato’s interpretations. This unique practice emphasizes the importance of dialogue as a means to foster critical thinking and understanding, encouraging learners to engage in lively discussions to explore complex ideas.

Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication

  • I have a question: This phrase is essential for engaging in dialogue and encourages a two-way conversation.
  • Can you explain that further? A great way to seek clarity, demonstrating a willingness to learn and understand.
  • What do you think about…? This opens the floor for opinions and promotes an interactive exchange.
  • Let’s discuss this: Inviting others to share their viewpoints can lead to deeper insights and knowledge sharing.
  • That’s an interesting perspective: Acknowledging others' ideas fosters a positive dialogue while allowing you to express your thoughts.

Step-by-step Shadowing Guide

Using the shadowing technique to enhance your English speaking skills is a highly effective method. Here’s how to approach the Socratic dialogue video and utilize the technique:

  1. Watch Actively: View the video without interruption, focusing on Socrates’ conversational style and the phrases used. Pay attention to pronunciation and intonation.
  2. Repeat Immediately: Try to mimic what you hear, phrase by phrase. This helps you practice real-time speaking, slowing down as needed to ensure accuracy.
  3. Pause & Reflect: After a segment, pause the video to reflect on what was said. Consider how you might respond to Socratic questions using the phrases listed above.
  4. Engage with a Partner: If possible, practice with a friend or language partner. Use the shadow speak technique by asking each other questions drawn from the dialogue.
  5. Record Yourself: After practicing, record your responses to evaluate your pronunciation and fluency. This plays a crucial role in preparing for real-life conversations or IELTS speaking practice.

By combining the shadowing technique with engaging content like Socrates’ philosophical discussions, you can effectively learn English with YouTube while enhancing your speaking skills.

Grammar in this video

The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:

StructureIn the video
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does ithas been reported · is written · cannot be expositioned
Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters nowhas been reported · has never written · have made
Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thingsomeone who will · view which are · people who are

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →