So far, everyone I’ve spoken to about my new blog has asked the same question…

What does Socratic Development mean?

Well, I can’t think of a better first post than an explanation of who I am and what Socratic Programmer means to me, so let’s start there.

Who am I?

My name is James. I am a husband, a father, a student, and most relevantly a software engineer striving to become better and to help others around me improve as well. Continuous improvement and education is a life-style which pretty much comes standard in our industry. If you want to be a serious developer then get used to the idea that you will be a student for the rest of your life. The reality that there is always more to learn is the foundation of Socratic Development.

What is Socratic Development?

I remember reading the Allegory of the Cave by Plato in grade school. This was my first introduction to a more abstract school of thought. I realized that living life without continued expansion of knowledge and perspective is resigning yourself to nothing more than a puppet show on the wall of the cave, created by shadows of objects beyond my comprehension. This may be a bit dramatic for the more pragmatically oriented individuals amongst us, but nonetheless this concept is as prominent in my life now as it was in my mind that day

I also believe that the most powerful, and often overlooked action in the allegory was when the man, after having escaped, turned around to help the others learn what he now knows. Learning and teaching are two sides of the same coin. While you can do one or the other individually, I feel they only provide their true value when used together.

About this time I usually get a response somewhere along the lines of

But you’ve only talked about Plato…If he’s your inspiration then why not call it Platonic Devlopment?

…Aside from the weird associations which attach to the word “platonic”?…

That’s really a fair point. I believe that although these ideas were introduced to me through the works of Plato they are best represented by the concept of Socratic Ignorance. This concept holds that the greatest wisdom is in the acknowledgement of what you do not know. I believe that the best thing we can do for our careers is let go of our hard convictions and remain open to the idea that there may be more to learn; you typically don’t know what you don’t know.