Discover Socrates’ Triple Filter Test: Evaluate Truth, Goodness, and Usefulness!

[00:00:00] Do you ever feel overwhelmed by the information that's just overflowing out there these days, and wonder what's truly worth your attention? In this episode of the Fallible Man Podcast, we're going to dive into Socrates timeless triple filter test, a powerful tool for discerning truth, goodness, and usefulness.

Discover how ancient wisdom can help you cut through the noise, focus on what truly matters, and and make a positive impact in the life of those around you. You may be a dead old guy, but there's been a lot of wisdom headed down by dead old guys. Hopefully one day I'll be one of those, but for now we're going to defer to Socrates and see what he has to teach us about what really matters and how to figure that out.

Let's get into it. Here's the million dollar question. How do men like us reach our full potential, growing to the men we dream of becoming while taking care of our responsibilities, working, living, being good husbands, fathers, and still take care of ourselves? Well, that's the big question. And in this podcast, we'll help you with those answers and more.

My name [00:01:00] is Brent and welcome to the Foundable Man Podcast. We're all very familiar with the ever overused term of misinformation at this point in our lives. It's kind of thrown out wildly for anything people disagree with these days, whether it's misinformation or not misinformation. I've had episodes marked misinformation and I still have no idea what they were talking about because I didn't say anything overly controversial or anything that wasn't backed by facts and science.

But that term just gets thrown around at everything and it drives me insane. However, there is a lot of merit to the asking the question of what is useful information, not what misinformation is and what misinformation isn't because. Honestly, these days, that seems to be something in totally different conversation, but we're living in a day and age where there's an explosion of information out there [00:02:00] to overwhelm us everywhere we turn.

We used to think people just weren't very intelligent because it was hard to get ahold of information. We now know that there is just a plethora of information that may actually be part of the culprit of low IQ individuals is there's just so much out there. It just kind of shuts your brain down.

Because there is no lack of data and information for you to find these days. Now, on top of that, we have AI spitting out any information we want, whether it's correct or not, it just, I mean, you can ask AI anything. Chat GPT is a little disturbing sometimes, but more than ever, it's incredibly important for us to be able to determine and filter what information serves as well and what information doesn't.

By the way, welcome to the Fallible Man podcast, where we dive into everything about being a better man, husband, and father, a big shout out to Fallible Nation, our loyal [00:03:00] listeners, and a warm welcome to those of you joining us for the first time. We appreciate you choosing to spend your time with us. We know there are a lot of options out there fighting for your attention.

So from the bottom of my heart, thanks for giving us a chance. I hope you enjoy the show. Be sure and let us know in the comments. I'm at the Fallible Man pretty much everywhere, except for Facebook, where I screw that up and I'm at Fallible Man there. Weird, right? So Socrates triple, triple filter test.

Let's talk about that. Socrates triple filter test. Now this is a very old concept and if you've never heard of it, it works like this, Socrates, triple, triple filter test. How many times can I say it? And then one episode is a philosophical framework for critically evaluating information before accepting it as true.

They can, the test consists of three very simple filters. Which were allegedly used by Socrates to assess the credibility and value of information. Number one is truth. Is the [00:04:00] information accurate and verifiable? Does it align with established facts and evidence? Truth. That's number one. Number two, goodness, right?

Seems a little odd, but stick with me. Is the information morally upright and beneficial? Does it promote the greater good or is it harmful and malicious information? And number three is usefulness. It's the informational, practical and helpful. Does it serve a purpose? Does it add to my life? I added that part in a manner that is positive or is it unnecessary and distracting?

Now we're in some opinion, uh, Socrates there was dealing with the same thing, even as an old dead guy. Apparently back then you still had a lot of gossip and stupidness. Otherwise, I can't imagine why goodness came into it. Uh, but when I look at these three, I have to [00:05:00] wonder, it's like, Oh, they have a lot of gossip in Socrates age too.

Now that's my opinion because these three, uh, guidelines, these three specific guidelines can be used equally to filter. hearsay and gossip and science all at once. So it's really quite a wide tool. Now, the caveat we need to throw out here is before we go any further, this is not a perfect end all be all, which would be absolutely amazing because we would all just love to have a clearly defined black and white, yes, no, solution.

However, nothing in life is that simple. And there's always way more nuance to everything that makes it impossible to just have a black and white end all be all when it comes to discerning information, understanding its value. However, it's a great starting point in filtering [00:06:00] what information is worthy of your attention and time because it is simple and it clears a lot of the trash out of the way with those three simple guidelines.

We just clear a lot off the table. Uh, it's amazing how effectively those three things cut through all the crap. So I'm suggesting you use this as a level one filter, gentlemen, not a, this is my guiding light. This is a level one filter to help you bring down the wide array of crap you're being bombarded with and make it a much more manageable solution of trying to figure out what you need to follow and listen to after that.

So to apply the triple filter test, it comes down to three really simple questions you should ask is what I'm about to say. So this could be applied to you as the person speaking or doing something is what I'm about to say or [00:07:00] believe true. Is it good and beneficial or is it harmful or malicious? The third question is, is it useful and practical or is it unnecessary, distracting, is it frivolous?

Now, running information through these three filters, Socrates believed that you could distinguish between reliable and unreliable information and make informed decisions. The test was not guaranteed to bring absolute truth, but it's rather a tool for critical thinking and discernment, which is why I said this is a level one filter.

Big heavy duty filter to get all junk before you have to get down to the nuance of stuff. Now, of course, with a lot of great sayings and ideas and concepts, there is of course, debate, whether this is actually attributed to Socrates accurately or not, [00:08:00] and for all practical purposes, who gives a shit who came up with it?

Originally, it doesn't change his value. Now, if you're a big history person and you want to try and run that to ground, people have been debating it for a very long time. So good luck with that. But the value doesn't change whether Socrates came up with it. Our Joe below the plumber came up with it because I know a lot of smart plumbers.

So the question is then, how do we use this tool in our lives in 2024 and 2025 and beyond? Well, the Socrates triple filter test can be applied to several areas of the brain. To serve your life that you may not be applying it to like evaluating information in this digital age, right? This is one of the places that we absolutely critically need these tools, particularly when it comes to the world of social media.

We all know if you've been on the show before, how I feel about social media, not a huge fan, but the problem is people put their, a game on social media. [00:09:00] They don't put their failures. They don't put the bad parts of them. They put the yay. Look at my moment. To the point where influencers have been caught falsifying things regularly.

Big surprise. So we can absolutely apply this triple filter test in our lives when it comes to in taking in information from social media can be used in assessing the credibility of sources and, or their arguments in debates and discussions. When someone throws out information at you, you can use this to help.

Source that credibility, right? And we go back to, is it true? Is it beneficial or, and is it useful and practical? You can take a lot of steam out of a lot of unnecessary arguments and definitely out of some unreliable sources by just asking these three questions. We can [00:10:00] use this in developing critical thinking skills.

If you start to use this as a filter, it will actually increase your critical thinking. Habit, which is a habit and a skill by practicing this, these three simple questions, develop critical thinking skills. It's part of critical thinking. We can use this when it comes to media literacy. You're listening to a podcast right now, right?

That's media. If I say something totally whack on here, can I use the term whack? Am I dating myself? Tell me if you're old enough to recognize the term. And if I'm using it incorrectly down in the comments, But right. You're taking in media right now. If I say something totally, totally ridiculous, I expect you would use your brain and run it through your filter test.

Now it may not be the Socrates triple filter test, but hopefully you've created some kind of filter test for the [00:11:00] information you're taking in. If I said something totally asinine, please run everything I say through there. I don't expect you to listen to me blindly. I think that's just dumb. And even coming from me, unless you're questioning what I'm sharing with you and digging into it further, please don't do that.

Don't take the face value and assume I'm right. I don't even assume I'm right. That's why I researched for these shows. So use it for media literacy, not just for podcasts. Use it for YouTube videos, for God's sake, use it for the news because. We absolutely need to apply a lot of filters to what the mainstream media tells us.

I don't care what your political alignment is. The media lies. Their job is to get you to click on things, right? Click bait. Clickbait is best used when applied to actual professional grade media are especially like big media companies. They don't get paid unless people click on things. So they have [00:12:00] a way of blowing the crap out of everything.

So use it to process all the crap that's being thrown at you by the news, by podcasters, by YouTubers, by anybody on the media spectrum. Use it there. You can also use this when people give you parenting advice. You can use this when people give you business and life advice, right? This is a critical thinking tool that can improve your life in all areas of your life.

And I love multi purpose tools. So guys, as we land this plane, thanks for joining us on this deep dive into Socrates triple filter test. Whether Socrates came up with it or not, who cares? Ah, we argue about stupid things. As we face an era of overwhelming information, tools like these can help us sift out the noise and focus on truth, goodness, and usefulness.

These are things that benefit your life. No matter what you believe, no matter who you are, focusing on truth, [00:13:00] goodness, and usefulness will help you filter your life for the better. These elements genuinely enrich our lives and empower us to make better decisions. Remember, just because the information is out there doesn't mean it's worth your time and attention.

Those are the most valuable, valuable assets you have. People think money is everything. They're full of crap. Okay. Your time and attention is the biggest commodity in the world and everybody wants it. And so you have to be discerning with how you spend it because those are the two things you don't get back.

Socrates, simple yet profound test is a first line of defense is filter number one. You can use it to start the process and then you're going to have to dive a deeper. When you get into nuanced issues, guys, if you found this value episode, valuable today, don't forget to like it, subscribe, share it with a friend.

And for more, even more exclusive content and insights, be sure and join our bi weekly newsletter. You can find a link [00:14:00] down in the description or show notes, whatever platform you're on. Let's keep building a community of critical thinkers and thoughtful leaders as men, because being discerning is part of being a better man, husband, and father.

Thanks for listening. Be better tomorrow because what you do today, I'll see you on the next one. This has been the fallible man podcast, your home for everything man, husband, and father. Be sure to subscribe so you don't miss a show. Head over. www. thepowerofrevenge. com for more content and get your own The Power of Revenge.