Socrates who lived from 470 BC to 399 BC is considered one of the founders of western philosophy. He taught people that you can reach closer to the truth by asking questions until you are either convinced of the truth of an idea or you reject it. There is a story about him that shows how he applied this approach in his own life. This has become popularly known as the three-filter test.
One day, an acquaintance came running into Socrates’ house.
‘I just heard something about one of your friends! You must hear it.’
‘Wait a moment. Before you tell me, I must ask you three questions,’ said Socrates.
‘Three questions?’
‘Yes. First of all—Are you sure that the thing you are going to tell me about my friend is true?’ said Socrates.
‘Actually, I am not sure. I just heard it myself.’
‘So, you are not sure if it is true. My second question—Is what you are going to tell me good?’
‘No. It is on the contrary.’
‘My final question—Is what you are going to tell me useful for me?’
‘Not really.’
Socrates smiled at the acquaintance.
‘You have heard something about my friend that is neither true, nor good, nor useful. So why tell it to me or any other person?’
The acquaintance was stunned into silence. He had never thought about it this way. He felt rather ashamed of gossip-mongering and went away quietly.
Times have changed a lot in the two-and-a-half millennia since Socrates lived. Like in ancient times, acquaintances still like to gossip, but modern developments have made it easier. Now acquaintances don’t need to come running to us with gossip. They can simply pick up a phone and call us. Besides acquaintances, we now have other sources too. Those of us who are on social media can read, watch and listen to chit-chat from around the world. There is more gossip out there on social media than we can possibly consume. TV is another big source of noise in our lives. Many news channels seem more interested in creating a sensation than in informing.
All this barrage of noise coming at us from all directions can make us lose our bearing, waste our time, and ultimately frustrate us. But we can guard against it by employing Socrates’ three-filter rule. Whenever we receive a piece of information, we should ask ourselves if it is true, good and useful. If it passes the three-filter test we can accept it or else reject it. It would be great if we can apply the three-filter test before speaking too, but that’s a topic for another day, another time!