Great Scot December 2019 Great Scot 158_December_ONLINE | Page 33

TRISTAN HILL
WITH SENIOR
SCHOOL BOYS
BEING ADAPTABLE
MEANS BEING
PHILOSOPHICAL
The study of Philosophy is not something often associated with
change. Change implies a contemporaneousness which is at odds
with the public perception of philosophy: the mere hint of ‘philosophy’
tends to bring, instead, images of balding men in tweed jackets who
enjoying nit-picking the minutiae of arguments until the real substance
and enjoyment of the discussion has wilted into obstinacy.
Yet, quite distinct from dusty tomes if not dusty practitioners, too,
I want to pose to you that the study of Philosophy offers an example
and rich skill set by which we can all be more adaptable to the
inevitable change we will experience, without compromising what is
important.
In Plato’s work Gorgias, Socrates (Plato’s teacher) famously chided
another contemporary thinker, Callicles, for believing that living a good
life meant cultivating the skill to persuade others to give you what you
wanted; to change the world around you so that it fulfilled your desires
for power and, ultimately,
self-gratification. Callicles
was the quintessential
ad-man of ancient Greece!
Socrates, instead, argued
that living well meant
adopting an ‘orderly (and)
self-disciplined mind’ amid
the chaos of change. This,
in turn, allowed one to
practise the skills necessary
for pursuing the greater
good of the self and wider
community.
For Callicles, being
adaptable meant a
constantly changing self:
when the opinions of the
people changed, so did
you in order to guarantee the satisfaction of your desires. For Callicles,
managing change was a reflexive skill practised to mirror the swirling
passions of the public, under a misguided perception that doing so
will bring us true fulfilment. Clearly, as Socrates tells Callicles, such a
life would involve an exhausting bondage to fickle whim, suitable only,
he thought, for a ‘gully-bird’! Callicles’ understanding of adaptability
would imply surrendering what is right for mere gratification. This is not
the kind of life we would want to lead.
Socrates had a different conception of adaptability and the kind
of change this implied. For Socrates, the good of the individual and
the community was our steady goal. But to achieve a goal we needed
to mould ourselves into the kind of person who could differentiate
between the flighty whims of our selves or the masses and the
ultimate good to be achieved. This, in turn, necessitated a deep and
penetrating self-knowledge and an ability to put all events and lesser
goals into their proper order and context. This allows us to set goals
and be adaptable in achieving them, acknowledging the broader
context of inevitable change.
I think we can all learn a lot from Socrates here. In a changing
world we need to be adaptable, certainly, but recognise that
adaptability does not mean conceding the greater good. Socrates
encourages us to judge the change we witness against the good
outcomes to be achieved for the true benefit of all.
The study of Philosophy by Socrates’ example, I believe, offers
all an opportunity to engage with some of the most important skills
required to be adaptable. It requires creativity, the ability to generate
new ideas, and meet the inevitable stumbling-blocks on our path with
confidence and collaboration; the willingness to engage with others to
achieve shared goals.
Importantly, Philosophy offers the most important ingredient for
being adaptable as Socrates presents it to us: critical thinking. This
offers us the ability to engage with the way things really are. It offers
us a standard of precision and care to pursue. It demands from us
reflection and honesty. It enables us to know fact from fiction, whim
from purpose and dissatisfaction from true fulfilment.
TRISTAN HILL – SENIOR SCHOOL STAFF
www.scotch.vic.edu.au Great Scot
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