The Story
Diving headfirst into philosophical questions is as natural to Young Socrates as it is for a bird to fly. Interrogating reality is his specialty. Blessed with an ability to simplify abstract concepts, Sock sets out to challenge a cohort of intelligent high school peers to sharpen their minds and confront the religious, political, and social norms of their time. He is as much a revolutionary as the original Socrates of ancient Athens. His group meets each day at lunchtime for discussions that daily grow more profound. They visit teachers with their philosophical inquiries. They grow excited about their intellectual growth. They stand up to those who deride them as eggheads. They gather steam. They become a unit. New members join and add perspectives from cultures around the world. They transform themselves into a relentless intellectual force admired by teachers and every other adult they encounter.
Near the end of the story, Sock conceives of a magnum opus, a grand coffee shop philosophical gathering of everyone involved in his intellectual adventure: students, teachers, parents, two college professors, and a Black San Francisco cop. Seated at the head of the table, he peppers them with questions: How do human beings learn? Do we really possess free will, or is it an illusion? Do genes affect human behavior? Is the soul real, or is it a metaphor for the spiritual essence of a person's life? Amazed and delighted, the invited adults witness young people dive into rarefied topics that would render most people confused and inarticulate. Points are made; hypotheses fly; a sense of collective inquiry infuses everyone. Through it all, Young Socrates serves as the intellectual leader. When the session ends, every adult leaves the shop as if walking on a cloud.
"These kids are phenomenal!"
And Sock's gang? They're on fire.
Woven through this saga of inquiry is a youthful adventure pursued by Sock and a couple of his friends: A hoodlum, several years older, harasses Sock's girlfriend, kidnaps a friend, appears to rob a bank, and physically attacks Sock in front of school. The subplot ends in a dramatic takedown of a bad actor.
Sixty-eight years later, Professor Emeritus Socrates Guevara ponders his long life as a university intellectual. He muses over friends and family. He expresses optimism and concern over the future of humankind. He nurtures a hope that he might yet create that world-changing philosophical insight that will move humanity forward. He's only 83 years old, so he still has time.