Some 2,500 years ago, Socrates gave birth to the art and science of what we now call critical reasoning. Through a system of inquiry, known as the “Socratic method,” Socrates used a series of probing questions to obtain answers and then critique those answers. In this manner, he sought to reveal the key issues behind perplexing problems, to uncover the merit and flaws in commonly held ideas, and to expose those contradictory beliefs that often hide behind smooth-sounding but empty rhetoric. It is indeed humorous to reflect on Socrates’ observation that one cannot necessarily rely on the “sound” judgment of those 
individuals occupying positions of authority; they may be prone to think in a muddled, whimsical, or irrational manner.