The Socrates Triple Filter Test

In ancient Greece , Socrates was reputed to hold knowledge in high esteem.One day an acquaintance met the great philosopher and said, "Do you know what I just heard about your friend?"

"Hold on a minute," Socrates replied. "Before telling me anything, I'd like you to pass a little test. It's called the "Triple Filter Test".

"Triple Filter?""That's right," Socrates continued. "Before you talk to me about my friend, it might be a good idea to take a moment and filter what you're going to say. That's why I call it the triple filter test."

"The first filter is TRUTH. Have you made absolutely sure that what you are about to tell me is true?" "No," the man said, "actually I just heard about it and..."'All right," said Socrates. "So you don't really know if it's true or not.Now let's try the second filter, the filter of GOODNESS. Is what you are about to tell me about my friend something good?"

"No, on the contrary......"

"So," Socrates continued, "you want to tell me something bad about him, but you're not certain it's true. You may still pass the test though, because there's one filter left, the filter of USEFULNESS. Is what you want to tell me about my friend goint to be useful to me?"

"No, not really."

"Well," concluded Socrates, "if what you want to tell me is neither true nor good nor even useful, why tell it to me at all?"

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Thus, dear YOU, if y'll be coming to me just to tell something bad about a friend of mine, DO NOT EVEN BOTHER. If it's something important, don't you think I'd know that already? And if that something bad is about ME, I DON'T GIVE A FREAKING SH**. I hate it when someone whom I haven't even met, though possibly had some online short exchange of "hi's and hello's," would tell people of some "fact" about me or a friend of mine. Really, don't you have other things to do, or maybe your OWN friends to talk about? Bihira ako magalit, so wag moko susubukan. Brat ako sa totoong buhay. Un lang BOW.