The RRP PHILOSOPHY:

Our work is guided by the assumption that the simple act of engaging in candid, personal dialogue on any topic is the precursor of greater understanding and knowledge of that very topic.

What we see is that an individual's ideas are often unformed and incomplete until they are asked to articulate them coherently. Then, as more pointed questions are posed to them about these ideas, their responses reflexively shape and re-shape their original view. And we see that if a conversation is honest enough and inquiring enough, the simple act of participants expressing divergent experiences naturally illuminates the breadth and limits of one another's assumptions. Through these means, a collective act of "sculpting" occurs which leads all participants to see the more complex shape of the given topic. This is the essence of the Socratic Method, and this is a dynamic learning environment for all who are willing to be truly engaged in it.

What we often encounter are individuals of every culture who act and think in ways that oppose the very ideals they have been taught to follow. This often happens because they have not had the opportunity to explore the foundations of their views, to develop these views for themselves, and ultimately to "own" their views through the constructive challenge inherent in being exposed to the perspectives of others engaged in a similar process.

Our work shows us that Socratic conversation reveals the uncultivated viewpoints of individuals from all cultures and, as such, provides the opportunity to develop a deeper multicultural competence for anyone willing to share and to listen.

For all of these reasons, the Race Relations Project remains committed to employing the Socratic Method in our conversations