Raising our Children in the age of Artificial Intelligence

[adamjedgar (adam james edgar)]

@St.Roymond

AI uses the method built into it. There has already been AI built to do certain kinds of counseling/therapy that uses methods very similar to the Socratic (and some is turning out to be more effective than human therapists manage!).

ST Roymond, what you have written there is fundamentally describing the same claim i just made. Im not sure what you are trying to do there?

[adamjedgar (adam james edgar)]

@St.Roymond

Moral choices? I’m not sure how that applies. Socratic teaching has next to nothing to do with morals.

oh man…come on…honestly, what university did you say you studied at? I have to give you the benefit of the doubt here and invite you to clarify what you actually meant there, because if one is to read it as written, you’ve pulled porky out of that rear end of yours.

[St.Roymond]

@adamjedgar

@St.Roymond

There has already been AI built to do certain kinds of counseling/therapy that uses methods very similar to the Socratic (and some is turning out to be more effective than human therapists manage!).

ST Roymond, what you have written there is fundamentally describing the same claim i just made. Im not sure what you are trying to do there?

You essentially said AI couldn’t be Socratic. I said sure it can, it’s already been done.

[St.Roymond]

@adamjedgar

@St.Roymond

Moral choices? I’m not sure how that applies. Socratic teaching has next to nothing to do with morals.

oh man…come on…honestly, what university did you say you studied at? I have to give you the benefit of the doubt here and invite you to clarify what you actually meant there, because if one is to read it as written, you’ve pulled porky out of that rear end of yours.

Socratic teaching makes the student think. Whether there are any morals involved is up to the student. The method has nothing to do with morals, only with critical thinking – and critical thinking cannot establish morals; that requires a premise of some kind.

One of my philosophy professors got his PhD in Socratic studies. He showed us how the Socratic method can be used to destroy all moral thinking, or build up moral thinking depending on the premises one chooses. It isn’t relegated to any one area of thought; it is applicable to physics, psychology, math, art, and more.
SInce you went with a conversational AI, I’ll respond with an analytical one. From Grok:

The Socratic method is “a questioning technique used to explore ideas, uncover assumptions, and stimulate critical thinking across any subject—philosophy, science, math, politics, you name it. By asking probing questions, it aims to clarify concepts, challenge beliefs, and reveal underlying truths, whether the topic is ethical or not. For example, Socrates used it to dissect concepts like justice (moral) but also knowledge or virtue (broader). It’s versatile; the only limit is the user’s ability to ask sharp questions.”

No inherent moral content.