From Plato's masterful Crito:

SOCRATES: Well, what if the laws were to reply, "Socrates, was this also agreed between yourself and ourselves, or did you agree to abide by the judgements the city pronounced?"

Now, if I were surprised that they asked this, they would probably say, "Socrates, don't be surprised at the question, just answer it, since you make such a habit of asking and answering questions. Come on, you are attempting to destroy ourselves and the city. On what grounds? Firstly, didn't we bring you to birth, since through us your father married your mother and begot you. So tell us, do you find any fault in those of us who are the laws concerning marriage, because they are unsound?"

"I find no fault," would be my reply.

"What about those concerning the upbringing of children once they are born, and the education you yourself received? Or did those of us who were established for this purpose not issue good instructions, when they directed your father to educate you in music and gymnastics?"

"They were good," I would say.

"So be it. But since you were begotten, reared, and educated in this way, can you say firstly that you are not our offspring and our servant, you yourself and your ancestors? And if this is the case, do you think that justice between you and us is on an equal basis, and that you are justified in retaliating against anything we set about doing to you? You did not have such equality towards your father, or your master if you had one, so that you could retaliate against whatever might be done to you, either by responding to any harsh words, striking back when struck, or doing anything else of that sort. So do you think this will be permitted towards your homeland and the laws, so that if we set about destroying you because we think it just to do so, you may also set about destroying us, the laws and your homeland, to the best of your ability, and may claim that you are justified in doing so, you, a man who truly cares so much about excellence?

"Or have you, as wise as you are, overlooked the following facts: that your homeland is more worthy of respect than your mother or father or all of your other ancestors, and is more august and sacred, and more exalted in status, in the eyes of the gods and of men of intelligence; that when your homeland is angry it should be revered, obeyed and assuaged, even more than an angry father, and you should either persuade it otherwise or do as it commands, and suffer in silence if it prescribes any suffering by being beaten or imprisoned; that if it sends you to war to be wounded or slain, this is what you must do, for justice consists in this and you must not surrender or withdraw or desert your post; that in war, in a courtroom, or anywhere else, you must do what your city and your homeland commands, or else persuade it as to where justice lies; that it is unholy to use force against your father or mother, but much more so against your homeland?"

I've been a scammer this whole time???

Our schools and colleges turn out advanced technicians in what are called the arts and sciences, but none has the ordinary prerequisites to traditional philosophical and theological study, none with the famous mens sana in corpore sano of the ancients.

— John Senior, The Restoration of Christian Culture

The median American read 2 books last year. And we still believe this is the sort of person who should be trusted to vote, to make important decisions?

Gambling Monk, Germany, 14th century.

Yes. It's a crime that it's usual for students to go through school without ever writing an essay by hand.

The worst thing you can do to a criminal is to allow them to evade punishment and to continue to benefit from their crimes. As such, I would like to apologize to all of those that I should have punished harsher for your violation of the chat rules. I will be more strict in the future.

Should be law that everyone must be a homebody.

It's true.

Traffic is insane today...

Remember that all observation is theory laden; you can’t kill Plato, no matter how hard you may try.

Trying to be political when you have no philosophical center.