Cancer 66

“The unexamined life is not worth living.” Socrates

Socrates had a huge impact on Western life and thought – and through colonialisation and globalisation the rest of the world. Not bad considering we have none of his writings, relying mostly on descriptions from Plato and Xenophon. I have never read Xenophon but I quite enjoyed reading Plato when I was trying to provide myself with an education after the failures of my experience of the comprehensive system (don’t get me going on that subject).

Socratic dialogues heped develop my critical thinking, and (I hope) I have used something similar throughout my academic life. I know I have irritated some people because I tend to disagree for the sake of disagreeing (I know, hardly sophisticated Socratic dialogue but it is fun), but it is genuinely an help develop clearer thinking if all participants act in the spirit of such dialogue.

The problem is that we now have a serious problem relating to critical thinking. It is just not allowed in some circumstances. Even in the universities there is less room for freedom of thought and speech, with the left often being the ones most guilty of trying to restrict the way we think. If I want to argue that climate change is not brought about by human activity I will be strung up. If I want to argue that eugenics has many positive uses I will be strung up again. And for a third time if I suggest colonialism did a lot of good. It doesn’t matter what I really think, just saying these things is enough to be sent to Coventry or worse.

This is dishonest and fundamentally dangerous for the progress of thought and knowledge, and an embarrassment for the Western intellectual tradition, whether the subject is race, sex, transism (is that a word?) or anything else. I prefer to rely on Western science rather than ‘indigenous knowledge’ – whatever that is – when it comes to the treatment of my cancer. I would rather take the drugs offered, developed over years of rigorous scientific endeavour, rather than rely on witchdoctors or shamans; or even some misguided ideas that we shouldn’t be upsetting minority groups or others by suggesting that Western science is superior to other modes of thinking.

It might not be politically correct to think that Western knowledge and thought are superior to other forms of knowledge and thought (I didn’t say all) but I hope to stay alive a little longer because of it. Part of the development of scientific thinking which led to my cancer drugs relies on the strength of thinking exemplified by Socrates, or at least Socrates as described by Plato.