From: "Rai" 
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The Great Philosopher
 

One day the great philosopher came upon an acquaintance. The acquaintance 
ran up to him excitedly and said, "Socrates, do you know what I just heard 
about one of your students?" 

"Wait a moment," Socrates replied. "Before you tell me 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 student 
let's take a moment to filter what you're going to say. The first filter is 
Truth. Have you made absolutely sure that what you are about to say to 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 student something good?" 

"No, on the contrary...." 

"So," Socrates continued, "you want to tell me something bad
about him, even 
though you're not certain it's true?" 

The man shrugged, a little embarrassed. 

Socrates continued. "You may still pass the test though, because there is a 
third filter - the filter of Usefulness. Is what you want to tell me about 
my student going 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?" 

The man was defeated and ashamed. This is the reason Socrates was a great 
philosopher and held in such high esteem. 

It also explains why he never found out that Plato was banging his wife. 


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