跟讀練習: 9 Life Lessons From Socrates (Socratic Skepticism) - 通過影片學習英語口語
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Socrates lived between 469 and 399 BCE and he is one of the most famous philosophers in the entire history of humankind.
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He is sometimes considered as the founder of Western philosophy and his work reflects the philosophy of skepticism,
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which has at its main base that knowledge can be obtained and through systematic doubt and continual testing.
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Although Socrates hasn't actually written anything, he has forever changed philosophy itself.
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Most of the things we know today about his philosophy came from Plato,
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Aristophanes and Zephanon whose writings are in the form of dialogues between Socrates and other Athenians.
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These writings gave birth to a new literary genre called the Socratic dialogue.
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Unfortunately, he is also famous for his tragic life.
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In 399 BCE, he was accused of corrupting the youth of Athens and of failing to acknowledge the city's official gods.
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After a trial that
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That lasted just a single day, he was sentenced to death.
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He spent his last day in prison, refusing to escape.
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The way his life ended can be considered as the founding myth of philosophy as a discipline.
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For one to really practice philosophy, they have to go against societal norms, to question everything even at the risk of their own peril.
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Everything about Socrates was impressive, his appearance, personality and behaviour, as well as in his views and methods.
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And this made many of the people around him to write about him, including Plato.
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It is unfortunate that Socrates didn't write at all and all we have is indirect evidence.
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Also, it is said that each age produces a Socrates of its own,
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however, there are some core fundamental teachings of the original Socrates that transcend the centuries.
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And to help you better understand his teachings and how you can implement them into your own life,
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in this video we bring you 9 life lessons we can learn from the philosophy of Socrates.
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1. Open yourself to the truth Socrates said,
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the only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.
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This quote is one of the most famous quotes of all time.
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It is also called the Socratic paradox.
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It was called a paradox because such a statement of Socrates seems contrary to common sense.
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This quote is a reply of Socrates to the Oracle of Delphi
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which stated that Socrates is the wisest
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and Socrates replied to this statement by saying that he is wise because he knows nothing.
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He simply considered that he didn't know what the truth was.
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Truth is that which is in accordance with fact or reality,
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and Socrates was very famous for developing a mental model for seeking truth, calling it elenchos, also known as the Socratic method,
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consisting in analysing all the elements of an argument, to understand the hypotheses on which the argument is constructed,
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to see if these hypotheses are based on facts and if they are valid.
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Thus, according to Socrates, we can pursue the truth by constantly asking questions to others and digging deeper into problems and thought experiments.
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His teachings are extremely valuable even today when we need
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so much to develop our critical thinking in how we analyse our life or society in general.
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If we just eat, sleep, sleep, work and procreate, we are no better than any other animal.
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In Socrates' view, such a life would not be worth living.
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It's important to never stop learning new things, asking questions and developing ourselves,
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and to never assume that once you know something, it's enough.
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You need to always question what you know as a fact,
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seek evidence and refresh your knowledge constantly. For example,
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imagine that you are working in an engineering department and you are informed that you have to follow a certain design methodology,
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but you don't understand the reasons why.
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Instead of just working by following orders, you'd be better off applying the Socratic method.
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Ask your boss as many questions as possible to fully understand why this method is as it is,
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who proved that it is really the best and what methods that person used.
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If you find the explanation unsatisfactory, you might even propose a new designing method and you could increase the quality of the design overall.
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Don't just follow orders and pretend that you know what you are doing.
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Only through acknowledging that you don't know something are you in a position to ask others questions to find out more,
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thereby developing your knowledge and skills and by extension, improve your career.
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2. Be Courageous According to Socrates, Socrates.
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He is a man of courage who does not run away, but remains at his post and fights against the enemy.
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Socrates was a contrarian and a polarizing figure, not only through his looks and behavior,
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but also through his way of interrogating people around him and because he didn't acknowledge the official gods.
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Due to this, in 399 BCE, he was arrested for corrupting the youth and brought to trial which lasted just a single day.
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In the end, he was sentenced to death.
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In spite of being offered the possibility to escape, he decided to remain in prison before his tragic death.
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death.
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He died by drinking poison hemlock.
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Certainly, Socrates was a man of great courage until the day he died.
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During his life, he was never afraid to go against the current of Athenian opinion.
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He was seeking the real truths behind the common beliefs.
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He refused refused to believe in the gods.
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He refused to be part of the political arena.
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No matter the cost, we need to stand up for our moral principles.
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For example, when your boss at work asks you to betray one of your colleagues, you should refuse it even at the risk of getting fired.
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When you are at a family reunion and you catch an old relative saying something racist or bigoted,
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you have to speak up and start a tough conversation with the people involved.
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Remaining silent when you have to speak up
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and obeying unjust orders means partnering with the abuser or with the criminal and causing harm to innocent people.
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Courage is not only a desirable trait we need to have, but it is the mark of any moral human being.
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3. Be Authentic To quote Socrates,
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the greatest way to live with honor in this world is to be what we pretend to be.
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Socrates never shied away from proclaiming his views, no matter the danger.
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He didn't take sides in politics, he was far more interested in seeking the truth than in political and social status.
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Ultimately, his stubbornness to be who he really was led him to trial and premature death.
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But due to the fact that he had the courage to be authentic,
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to question everything publicly, he lived honorably and his fame has lasted to this day way.
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Socrates was also bold enough to proclaim his ignorance towards many subjects.
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He didn't hesitate to ask others questions in order to find the truth.
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Even in regards to physical appearance, he didn't polish himself to look more than he was.
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Most of us do not have the courage that Socrates had, but we can learn from him to be more straightforward,
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more honest, to better align our ideal of ourselves with who we truly are.
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This means to stop seeking the approval of other people,
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to stop dressing and behaving to impress others in order to be seen as we would like them to see us.
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It is much better instead to work more in shaping our character than in lying
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and deceiving others in regard to who we truly are.
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If you are not happy about how you look, work on building muscles or losing weight instead of buying clothes to try and fake it.
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Stop pretending to be who you are not and use
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that energy to start the real work on addressing the main sources of the problems.
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Only then can you be the true authentic version of yourself.
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4. Be humble Socrates tells us,
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pride divides the men, humility joins them.
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It is said that Socrates had an unpleasant appearance.
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He was short with a big belly, with rough facial features, bulging eyes and a snub nose.
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He was extremely mocked due to his looks, but he didn't seem to care that much.
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He continued to use the same cloak every day, living a poor life, not caring either for his hygiene or for eating and drinking well.
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However, also because of his humble appearance, he was able to speak with people from all walks of life,
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whomever he was finding in the marketplace or other public areas.
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Male or female, young or old, slave or free, rich or poor.
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His humility gave him a special freedom and many possibilities to interact with different types of people.
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Although only a few of us would want to look like Socrates and adopt such an austere lifestyle,
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we can still adopt some aspects of his humility in order to be more free
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and to be able to experience life more fully.
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Humility means first of all freedom from pride and arrogance.
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The bigger your status in society, the more you need to practice humility.
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If, for example, you are a manager in a factory, you need an amount of humility to talk to employees working under you
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and listen to their suggestions on how to improve teamwork.
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If you adopt an arrogant and demanding attitude, you will deprive yourself of a valuable input from your subordinates.
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If you want your staff to respect you, you have to respect them equally.
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They are the creators, the ones actually performing the primary functions of the business,
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giving them unique, valuable insights you can't see from a management or executive level perspective.
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If your staff feel like they are truly valued and respected, they will generally want to return that respect with delivering to their best abilities.
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Only when you have created such a connection will they open up to you
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and give valuable feedback which you can use to improve the working methods in your factory.
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The more humble we are, the more approachable we are, and thus, the better our connection with others, leading to more, better opportunities.
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5. Beware the busyness of life
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In the words of Socrates, Beware the barrenness of a busy life
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In the late 5th century BCE, when Socrates lived, most of the Athenian men preferred fame,
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wealth, honours and political power to a life of labour.
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They always seem to have a busy life, but not a happy one.
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By contrast, Socrates neither labored to earn a living nor participated voluntarily in affairs of state.
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Rather, in spite of his popularity, he chose to remain in poverty.
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He wasn't even interested in being considered a teacher.
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He believed it was more important to teach people to think
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by themselves than to fill their memories with new things that they may not even use.
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Doing things just for money
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or for fame was not one of his interests as he understood
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that living a life without a real purpose is an empty life.
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Following Socrates' example, we should all be careful not to have a busy and empty life, but rather a meaningful life.
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Nowadays, there are so many activities activities we can engage in, so many things to choose from.
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If we don't know how to limit our desires for more money,
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more things, more fame, we risk the possibility that we completely fill our time with activities, leaving no time to stop and process,
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to digest everything going on in our life, to find the meaning and make better, considered decisions going forward.
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Running after money and fame won't give us real meaning in our lives.
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All it does is cost time and energy, both of which can be better spent doing things that actually fulfill you, things you really enjoy.
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You don't have to try to do everything you're capable of doing in life,
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just start by figuring out what's really meaningful to you and prioritize your activities accordingly.
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Life can only become meaningful when you do meaningful activities.
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6. Be a citizen of the world Socrates stated,
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I am not an Athenian or a Greek, but a citizen of the world.
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We shouldn't be defined by artificial borders like the geographical border of our country.
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People shouldn't be just citizens of their state, they should be citizens of the world.
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Now more than ever there are many more things that unite us than separate us.
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Unfortunately, we humans typically think of ourselves in small groups, our block or street, our town,
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our county or state, our country.
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If the internet has taught us nothing else, us, it has taught us
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that we might have more in common with someone thousands of miles away than you do with your own neighbour.
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We are all human beings, no more, no less.
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And making judgements about a fellow human based on differences like nationality,
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skin colour, gender or in fact anything other than their behaviour and actions is utterly nonsensical.
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Socrates understood this very well, even though at that time this idea was truly revolutionary.
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Greece was divided into many smaller states like Athens and Sparta, and there were many wars between them.
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But Socrates was not a fan of politics.
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He refused to take sides with one party or another.
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He was more interested in finding an objective truth than in a subjective one, person, or in aligning himself with a certain group of people.
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In the same way, we should be interested more in the common moral principles
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which connect us than in the apparent differences between us.
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If you meet someone from another country, from another culture, don't focus on how different they dress from you or how they behave and think,
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but rather focus on the physical and psychological needs you have in common, to have enough food to eat, a shelter over your head,
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to feel you are a part of a community, to feel secure, to take care of your family and so on.
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All humans on this planet have the same basic needs
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and this is the common ground from which we should engage with one another.
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We are all citizens of this world.
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7. Be happy with less Socrates posits that,
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the secret of happiness, you see, is not found in seeking more, but in developing the capacity to enjoy less.
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Happiness is, by definition, an end goal of our desires.
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Happiness is not a given, it requires a certain effort.
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And the fewer desires we have, the easier it is to achieve happiness.
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Socrates believed that the real secret to happiness is to have a moral life, to be just.
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By being so, you can be more peaceful, more content with your current affairs and desire fewer possessions.
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Thus, happiness is not a result of having more, it is more a result of a mindset,
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of the ability to enjoy the small things in life.
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We need to work more on our inner state of mind, rather than trying to possess as many things as possible,
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like money, property, cars and so on.
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An easy way to introduce more happiness into our life is through making small changes every day.
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You can start by practicing meditation, taking a short walk after lunch to the nearest park, taking part in sport, writing a diary,
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connecting with your friends and relatives, even something as simple as watching your favorite comedy and so on.
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Over time, you can introduce more new habits, which cumulatively can increase your level of happiness.
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Don't expect a new apartment, a new car or even winning the lottery to make you happy.
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Real happiness requires less effort than you might expect.
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It usually consists of developing small habits you can follow and build on every day.
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By being a moral person and focusing on practicing healthy habits every day, you can be happy with surprisingly little effort.
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8. Don't Seek Vengeance As we learn from Socrates,
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one should never do wrong in return nor mistreat any man, no matter how one has been mistreated by him.
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For Socrates, vengeance is by definition unjust and there is never a good motivation to justify it.
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This philosophy on vengeance is expressed in one of the dialogues of Plato, where Socrates debates Paul Marcus,
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who believes that if it is just to give each man what is owed,
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so So too it is just to do good for a good friend and to do harm to an enemy.
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Socrates made Paul Marcus realise that when harmed, human beings tend to become less virtuous, not more.
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So while it may be cathartic to balance the scales by acting on the ancient expression an eye for an eye,
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the net result is that you drive your enemies towards further immorality.
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Harming someone makes neither you nor them a better person, thus vengeance is never justified.
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No matter how badly someone has hurt you, you need to calmly reply and walk away.
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It could be your best friend who betrayed you, it could be someone who spread false rumours about you in public,
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your partner who cheated on you, or your boss who unfairly criticized you.
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No matter what, you need to calmly evaluate the situation.
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If appropriate, express your hurt feelings in a polite way, demand a correction or apology, and if this is not possible,
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pack your bags and walk away.
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Don't do the same thing to the other person, don't sink down to their level.
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Instead, maintain your humanity, defend yourself, self, claim an apology, or walk away.
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9. Have a sense of humor
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In our final quote from Socrates for this video, he says, By all means marry.
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If you get a good wife, you will become happy.
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If you get a bad one, you will become a philosopher.
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Socrates was well known for his sense of humor.
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He was often making jokes about his wife Xanthippe, who was 30 years younger than him,
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explaining that she had a bad temper and a difficult personality, suggesting that he became a philosopher due to this issue and
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that the marriage with her is a great school in dealing with difficult situations.
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They even had an argument when she visited him in prison before his death.
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She was crying, saying that he was condemned unfairly, and he joked about it,
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saying, would you think this situation was less regrettable if they had condemned me fairly?
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Perhaps we can all implement a bit of Socratic humor in our own lives.
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No matter the situation, good or bad, making jokes can lighten up other people and us.
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Laughter is a powerful tool which can bring people closer, when used carefully, without malevolence or bad intentions.
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Laughter releases stress and makes us more resilient against the daily difficulties of life.
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Studies have shown a relationship is more likely to last if the partners find the same things funny.
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To make your relationships long -lasting, To quote the comedian Reginald D.
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Hunter, you have to find the funnies.
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Whether that's finding shows, movies or comedians you both enjoy, or just seeing the same humour in life situations,
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a good joke, said without bad intentions, can light up the spirits and create truly memorable moments.
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If you enjoyed this video, please make sure to check out our full Philosophies for Life playlist.
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And for more videos to help you find success and happiness using ancient philosophical wisdom, don't forget to subscribe.
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Thanks so much for watching.
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本課的詞彙與口語要點
這節口語課以影片“9 Life Lessons From Socrates”為素材。 這段影片共有 226 個句子、3268 個單詞可供跟讀。 講話部分時長為 24:33。 說話人語速平穩，每分鐘約 133 個詞，很適合跟讀。 84% 的單詞屬於英語最常用的 3,000 詞，其餘的詞建議在練習前先學一下。
影片中的重點詞彙
影片中 15 個值得學習的單詞，附發音和釋義：
| 單詞 | 發音 | 釋義 |
|---|---|---|
| happiness 名詞 | /ˈhæpinɪs/ | 幸福, 快樂 /快樂 |
| humility 名詞 | /hjuːˈmɪlɪti/ | 謙卑 /謙卑, 謙遜 /謙遜 |
| moral 形容詞 | /ˈmoɹəl/ | 道德的 |
| fame 名詞 | /feɪm/ | 有名 |
| courage 名詞 | /ˈkʌ.ɹɪd͡ʒ/ | 勇氣 /勇氣, 膽量 /膽量 |
| meaningful 形容詞 | /ˈmiː.nɪŋ.fl̩/ | 有意義 /有意義 |
| humour 名詞 | /ˈhjuːmɚ/ | 幽默, 諧謔 /諧謔 |
| vengeance 名詞 | /ˈvɛnˌd͡ʒəns/ | 復仇 /復仇 |
| dialogue 名詞 | /ˈdaɪəˌlɑɡ/ | 對話 /對話, 會話 /會話 |
| habit 名詞 | /ˈhæb.ɪt/ | 習慣 /習慣 |
| adopt 動詞 | /əˈdɑpt/ | 收養 /收養 |
| humble 形容詞 | /ˈhʌmbəl/ | 謙卑 /謙卑, 謙遜 /謙遜 |
| authentic 形容詞 | /ɔˈθɛn.tɪk/ | 真實 /真實, 真正 |
| relative 名詞 | /ˈɹɛl.ə.tɪv/ | 親戚 /親戚 |
| harm 名詞 | /hɑːm/ | 損害 /損害 |
影片中出現的短語動詞
| 單詞 | 釋義 |
|---|---|
| check out 動詞 | 退房 |
| figure out 動詞 | 弄清楚 |
| find out 動詞 | 找出, 查明 |
| going forward 副詞 | 放眼未來 /放眼未來 |
| run away 動詞 | 逃跑 |
| stand up for 動詞 | 擁護 /擁護, 挺身而出 |
影片中的語法
說話人最常用的結構，並附上影片中的原話：
| 結構 | 影片中的用法 |
|---|---|
| 被動語態 be + 過去分詞 — 強調發生了什麼，而不是誰做的 | is sometimes considered · can be obtained · was accused |
| 現在完成時 have/has + 過去分詞 — 過去發生但與現在仍有關聯的事 | hasn't actually written · has lasted · have created |
| 定語從句 who / which + 從句 — 補充說明人或事物 | that which is · friend who betrayed · tool which can |
需要注意的發音
說話人用了 26 次縮略和弱讀形式，例如 don't, didn't, shouldn't。請按聽到的簡短形式來說。
- “th” 音: authentic /ɔˈθɛn.tɪk/, hypothesis /haɪˈpɒθɪsɪs/, myth /mɪθ/, thereby /ðɛɹˈbaɪ/, methodology /ˌmɛθ.əˈdɑ.lə.d͡ʒi/
- “sh” 和 “zh” 音: intentions /ɪnˈtɛnʃənz/, contrast /kənˈt(ʃ)ɹæst/, extension /ɪkˈstɛnʃən/, explanation /ˌɛkspləˈneɪʃən/, polish /ˈpɑ.lɪʃ/
- 長單詞——注意重音位置: humility /hjuːˈmɪlɪti/, apology /əˈpɑ.lə.d͡ʒi/, hypothesis /haɪˈpɒθɪsɪs/, philosopher /fəˈlɑsəfɚ/, explanation /ˌɛkspləˈneɪʃən/
中文母語者容易讀錯的音：
- /v/ — 不要讀成 /w/，上齒輕觸下唇: vengeance /ˈvɛnˌd͡ʒəns/, relative /ˈɹɛl.ə.tɪv/, impressive /ɪmˈpɹɛsɪv/, poverty /ˈpɑːvɚti/, valid /ˈvælɪd/
- 詞尾子音 — 要讀清楚，後面不要加母音: happiness /ˈhæpinɪs/, courage /ˈkʌ.ɹɪd͡ʒ/, vengeance /ˈvɛnˌd͡ʒəns/, pretend /pɹəˈtɛnd/, dialogue /ˈdaɪəˌlɑɡ/
- /r/ 和 /l/ 的區別: moral /ˈmoɹəl/, relative /ˈɹɛl.ə.tɪv/, principle /ˈpɹɪn.sɪ.pəl/, calmly /ˈkɑː(ɹ)m.li/, carefully /ˈkɛɹf(ə)li/
如何用這段影片練習
- 先完整聽一遍影片，不要開口，記下不認識的單詞。
- 用正常速度逐句跟讀，每句重複到你的節奏與說話人一致為止。
- 錄下自己的聲音並與原聲對比，特別注意 happiness, humility, moral 這類單詞。
什麼是跟讀法？
跟讀法 (Shadowing) 是一種有科學依據的語言學習技巧，最初開發用於專業口譯員的培訓，並由多語言者Alexander Arguelles博士普及。這個方法簡單而強大：您在聽英語母語原聲的同時立即大聲重複——就像是一個延遲1-2秒緊跟說話者的影子。與被動聽力或語法練習不同，跟讀法強迫您的大腦和口腔肌肉同時處理並模模擬實的講話模式。研究表明它能顯著提高發音準確性，語調，節奏，連讀，聽力理解和口語流利度——使其成為雅思口語備考和真實英語交流最有效的方法之一。