ABSTRACT
The Socratic lesson, it will be recalled, is to do with identifying one’s ignorance or confusion as a result of being on the receiving end of persistent questions. This chapter describes at two individuals who need to be offered the opportunity to find out for themselves what their problems are. That is to say, in both cases what we are dealing with is an aspect of education – in the first case, the education of a patient, and in the second case, education under the aegis of appraisal. The patient may appear a slightly bizarre individual and will consequently sometimes come close to reducing the student and the audience to giggles. Most participants are very good at taking patient-centredness seriously. Training encourages the teacher to take student views seriously, and the doctor to take patient views seriously. No patient education can take place if the foundations are wrong.
