Peter Kreeft - The Unaborted Socrates

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Table of Contents

Other books by Peter Kreeft

C. S. Lewis (Eerdmans, 1969)
Love Is Stronger Than Death (Harper & Row,1979)
Heaven : The Hearts Deepest Longing (Harper & Row, 1980)
Everything You Always Wanted to Know about Heaven ... But
Never Dreamed of Asking (Harper & Row,1982)
Between Heaven and Hell (InterVarsity Press, 1982)
The Best Things in Life ( InterVarsity Press, 1984)
Yes or No? Straight Answers to Tough Questions
abouf Chrisfianity (Servant, 1984)
Prayer: The Great Conversation (Servant, 1985)
Making Sense Out of Suffering (Servant, 1986)
For Heavens Sake (Nelson, 1986)
Socrates Meets Jesus (InterVarsity Press, 1987)

1983 by Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship of the United States of America

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form
without written permission from InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois.

InterVarsity Press is the book-publishing division of Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship,
a student movement active on campus at hundreds of universities, colleges and
schools of nursing. For information about local and regional activities,
write IVCF, 233 Langdon St., Madison, Wf 53703.

Distributed in Canada through InterVarsity Press, 860 Denison St., Unit 3,
Markham, Ontario L3R 4H1, Canada.

Cover illustration: Joe DeVelasco

ISBN 0-87784-810-6

Printed in the United States of America

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data

Kreeft, Peter.

The unaborted Socrates.

1. Abortion. 2. Socrates. Title. HQ767.K73 1983 179.76 83-8430

ISBN 0-87784-810-6

27 26 25 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10
18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 09 08 07 06 05 04 03 02

For Balduin and Stephen Schwarz,
who mightily refute Nietzsches
divorce between Truth and Life

Acknowledgments

Copious thanks belong to Joan Guest, Kathryn Lindskoog,
the Rev. Eugene Peterson, Stephen Evans,
Clifton Orlebeke, Kirk Kilpatrick, Fr. Ronald Tacelli,
James Sire (the Platonic ideal of an editor) and most
especially Stephen Schwarz for reading the manuscript and
making excellent suggestions, not all of which
I followed (so of course any quarrel any reader has with
any sin of omission or commission here is with me,
not with these good counselors).

DIALOG ONE

SOCRATES IN AN ABORTION CLINIC

time: the present
place: a hospital in Athens

dramatis personae:
Socrates
Dr. Rex Herrod, abortionist

The fundamental question

Socrates: Where are we?

Dr. Herrod : We ? I know perfectly well where I am, but you appear disoriented, Sir.

Socrates: Appearances may be deceiving. Perhaps it is the one who seems to know, who really does not know.

Herrod : Youre a strange sort of person. Why do you speak classical Greek?

Socrates: I speak my native tongue.

Herrod: What is your native city?

Socrates: Athens.

Herrod: Here? You look like one who has come from afar.

Socrates: Indeed I have. But not far in space.

Herrod: Oh. I... see.

Socrates: Do you?

Herrod : Perhaps you want the psychiatric ward?

Socrates: No. I have been sent here.

Herrod: Are you a doctor?

Socrates: Of a sort.

Herrod: What sort? I think you must be in the wrong place.

Socrates: This is an abortion clinic, is it not?

Herrod: Why, yes. Do you perform abortions?

Socrates as an aborter of thoughts

Socrates: Of a sort. I abort thoughts.

Herrod : Thoughts?

Socrates: Yes. Fallacies. Inconsistencies. Ignorance. I terminate defective intellectual pregnancies.

Herrod : Oh. Is that all?

Socrates: No, that is not all. I am an intellectual obstetriciana midwife of thoughts, you might say.

Herrod: A... midwife of thoughts?

Socrates: Yes. Logical thoughts. Consistencies.

Herrod: You sound like a lunatic to me. What is that strange white gown youre wearing?

Socrates: My daily clothes. What is that strange white gown youre wearing?

Herrod : Im a doctorDr. Rex Herrod. But you look like a cross between a doctor and a ghost.

Socrates: I am both, in a way.

Herrod : Well, I dont believe you are a doctor, and I dont believe in ghosts.

Socrates: That makes no difference. I am here.

Herrod: What do you want?

Socrates: Only some conversation. Perhaps you would indulge my curiosity and tell me about your work here.

Herrod: Hmmm ... why dont you sit down here in this comfortable chair and Ill get some coffee.

Socrates: You mean this uncomfortable chair? All right, but I do not want any coffee.

Herrod : Can I get you anything to eat? Socrates: Yes. Some thoughts, if you please.

Herrod: You eat thoughts?

Socrates: Certainly. To begin with an appetizer, what are you doing here?

Herrod: I know perfectly well what Im doing here. The question is, what are you doing here?

Socrates: What Im doing here is asking you questions about what youre doing here. If you know perfectly well, you should have no trouble answering now, should you?

Herrod: You are a strange one, whoever you are. All right, Ill play your little game if you wish. I perform abortions here.

Socrates: You sound defensive.

Herrod: Surely you realize my work is controversial.

Socrates: Indeed I do. Some think your work is good and some think it is evil.

Is abortion good, evil, or neutral?

Herrod : It is neither. It is neutral. It is not a moral issue, but a medical issue.

Socrates: You are paid for this work, are you not?

Herrod: Of course.

Socrates: Are people paid for things that help or for things that harm or for things that neither help nor harm?

Herrod : Things that help, surely. They are called services.

Socrates: And what helps is good, is it not? Just as what harms is evil?

Herrod: Yes.

A reason why abortion seems good

Socrates: Then this service of yours must be good, since people pay you for it, and they pay only for services that help, and what helps is good.

Herrod: Fine. Let it be as you say. My service is good, if you put it that way.

Socrates: No, it is you who put it that way.

Herrod: What if I do?

Socrates: Then your work is not neutral, as you said before, but either good or evil. You believe your work is good, but others believe it is evil. Why do they believe that? And how do you defend yourself against their arguments?

Herrod: Two very large questions indeed. Youre asking for the two sides of the abortion controversy.

Socrates: In a nutshell, as you would say.

Herrod: Why are you doing this?

The Socratic service: helping people know what theyre doing

Socrates: I too perform a service. I help people know what they are doing.

Herrod: I know perfectly well what Im doing. Socrates: That remains to be seen.

Herrod: I see. Youre playing Socrates.

Socrates: No. Not playing.

Herrod : I told you I dont believe in ghosts. But as you say, it makes no difference. You are here. I shall even call you Socrates if you like.

Socrates: Thank youthough you give me only what is mine. May we begin then?

Herrod : All right. It will be amusing for you and may be instructive for me.

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