Socratic Discussion HOD

I really enjoyed observing Blake, Robert, Matthew, Steven, and Tyler discuss Heart of Darkness and the essence of civilization. Although it was difficult not to participate, it was interesting to hear what they all had to say. Blake and Matthew were definitely the group leaders, but like Dr. Forman said in class, it's quality over quantity. So, although Tyler did not speak often, his ideas were well thought out and substantial. I think the majority of the group agreed that one is born good and it is civilization that deteriorates our natural good. Moreover, the group acknowledged that one must have some sort of rules or else one would live in a world with the utmost chaos. Tyler brought up a good point relating it to our lives today: imagine displacing Taft students to attend Buckley. Since we attend a private, college-prep school, we strictly follow the rules and The Buckley Commitment. Since Taft is a public school and has an extraordinary amount of students, it is more difficult to enforce rules. Another concept the group brought to my attention was whether it is unintentional or malicious, everyone judges. Judging can also be used as a mechanism to fit in! Thus, although Freud claims that one should not restrain one's instinct, it should depend on the circumstance. For example, if one has the instinct to kill, does that make it ok? Clearly, no. I'm so glad we got to explore Socratic method again this semester!