Shame and Learning in Platos Apology Essay -- Philosophy Philosophica

Shame and Learning in Platos ApologyABSTRACT In the Apology, Socrates proves to be the master teacher (1) of Athens in the way that he invites the city to overcome its cognitive shame. Psychologist and teacher Paul Shane contends that much of the learning serve up begins in shame. (2) Shane defines shame in this wayShame is the feeling of being exposed and deficiencying to hide ones nakedness. It is related to ego-ideal. One has a conception of self, an paradigm of what one can be, and the feeling of shame is experienced in not having achieved a desired and attainable goal, in lacking something, in being inadequate. quite a than being a function of not having lived up to the standards of another, it is having failed or disappointed oneself.Shane holds that shame is an share in the learning process because the individual does not want to be in a position of having his or her ignorance exposed. In this way, cognitive shame spurs on the students desire . . . to explore and acquire, to master and become competent. (3) If an important element in the learning process of the pupil is her need to overcome this shame of not knowing then it seems that she is in a real awkward position, in fact an intolerable position On the one hand her shame at not knowing is the spur that drives her on to want to transcend her limitations and the feelings of inadequacy, of ignorance that jeopardise her. On the other hand, the only way she can overcome her state of ignorance and free herself from the shame that threatens her is by revealing her ignorance and thereby making herself vulnerable to the very feelings of shame that will attend this disclosure. Shane implicitly points to this dilemma in his discussion of the questionable structu... ...ely, a certain degree of irony here but Socrates central orientation as the sort of teacher who is at the same time a learner is to be seizen very seriously. Socrates, in fact, breaks down the tubercle between teacher and pupil by maki ng the learning process a collaborative one.(2) Paul Shane, Ph.D., Shame and Learning, American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 50 (2), April 1980.(3) Shane, 352.(4) Shane, 350-351.(5) Shane, 352.(6) Shane, 352.(7) The verb, here, dokounton, is moderately ambiguous. It can mean, one of those who seem or appear to be wise or one of those who have a reputation for being wise. (8) This, I take it, is the grounds of his hesitation and difficulty, namely, that he is challenging the gods utterance.(9) He appears to be someone involved in the political affairs of the city from Apology 21c4, tis ton politikon.