When Alexander Questioned Aristotle

When Alexander the Great was young and studying under Aristotle, Aristotle would often tell his students:

“Ask me questions. Thinking of a question is the first step to knowledge.”

But the strange thing was that whenever the students asked, Aristotle never gave a complete answer, or he would turn the discussion in another direction.

This bothered Alexander, until one night he lost his patience.

He went angrily to Aristotle’s tent, where the teacher was busy reading, and said loudly:

“What kind of method is this? You tell us to ask questions, but you avoid giving answers!”

Aristotle calmly replied:

“My purpose is not to give you information, but to make you think. If I gave you a final answer to every question, you would take my words as the ultimate truth and stop searching.

My answers are meant to open the door of curiosity for you, not to close it.”

This incident holds a great lesson for today’s teachers and parents.

A teacher who forces students to see everything only from his own point of view locks their minds.

The true teacher is the one who keeps alive the student’s questions, possibilities, and curiosity