The aim of the Socratic Method is to explore a subject's true nature through acknowledging one's own ignorance and seeking knowledge through the continuous asking of questions.
And questions were just what people had when first daughter and presidential advisor Ivanka Trump, attributed a quote to the method's creator, Socrates, tweeting:
"The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new.”
While Ms. Trump cited famous Greek philosopher Socrates, the quote actually comes from The Way of the Peaceful Warrior: A Book that Changes Lives, a 1980 fictionalized memoir by gymnast Dan Millman. To Ms. Trump's credit, a character named Socrates - who works as a wise gas station attendant - does give the aforementioned guidance to one of the characters in the book.
Twitter users quickly corrected her.
&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.huffingtonpost.com%2Fentry%2Fivanka-trump-socrates-quote_us_5bc5bfc3e4b055bc9479dce2&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.huffingtonpost.com%2Fentry%2Fivanka-trump-socrates-quote_us_5bc5bfc3e4b055bc9479dce2After deleting the original tweet, Ms. Trump reposted it with further clarification.
But the damage was already done.
&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.newsweek.com%2Fivanka-trump-misquoted-socrates-and-twitter-having-field-day-1171910&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.newsweek.com%2Fivanka-trump-misquoted-socrates-and-twitter-having-field-day-1171910&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.huffingtonpost.com%2Fentry%2Fivanka-trump-socrates-quote_us_5bc5bfc3e4b055bc9479dce2And Twitter users weren't done yet.
The real Socrates was executed as his hometown of Athens was recovering from the Greeks' loss of the Peloponnesian war. The loss created a national identity crisis, and Athens became fixated with its past, with superficial beauty, and with riches (sound familiar?), though Socrates insisted glory could better be reached through cultivation of the mind.
When Ms. Trump misattributed the quote, many began pointing out that the infamous Trump values are more in opposition to Socratic values than congruent to them. They used actual Socrates quotes to do so.
&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.newsweek.com%2Fivanka-trump-misquoted-socrates-and-twitter-having-field-day-1171910Some reminded her of the very ideas that led to Socrates's execution.
While it's hardly the first - or worst - misstep from a Trump when it comes to using words, we're willing to bet Ivanka wishes she'd done a little more research before citing one of the most famous philosophers of all time.
@PreetBharara/X
@RepBrendanBoyle/X
@twesq/Bluesky
@christopherharris/Bluesky
@evangelinewarren/X
@FrankC164/X
AMC