By Ines Kudo
Every session in Ascend brings three key threads: a hands-on Quest, a writing Genre, and a Civilization topic for Socratic discussion. This time, the Pumas took a deep dive into ancient Greece, wrestling with timeless questions about democracy, power, justice, and truth.
They didn’t just study history. They lived it.
Through debates, myth-making, and a reenactment of Socrates’ trial, they explored the tensions between order and freedom, progress and control, the weight of moral choices, and what it truly means to be a hero.
Watching their process unfold has been nothing short of inspiring. I know I can’t do it full justice, but I hope this gives you a small window into how profound learning can become at age eleven or twelve, when guided by curiosity and courageous questions.
Civilization: Origins of Democracy: Power and Its Pitfalls
The Pumas stepped into the sandals of ancient Athenians, reenacting the trial of Socrates, condemned for “corrupting the youth” and challenging democracy. They asked:
Is democracy just if it silences dissent?
Should society fear free thinkers, or do they drive progress?
Can a just system punish individuals unjustly?
Drawing from their studies, the Pumas examined Athenian democracy’s strengths and contradictions. Some argued Socrates was a necessary provocateur. Others believed his defiance threatened order. The trial became a mirror for modern dilemmas: censorship, conformity, and the balance between security and freedom.
Maitane cut through the idealism first: “Athens called itself a democracy, but built walls around that freedom. Women, slaves, foreigners, none of them counted. How different is that from today?” Camilo added, “We pretend modern democracy is more just, but look who still gets silenced. The exclusions are just quieter now.”
Why did Socrates scare Athens so much? Mayu asked, “What if too much questioning destabilizes things?” Giulia countered, “Then it wasn’t stability, it was control. Real progress has to unsettle.” Sofía made it personal: “Socrates’ trial wasn’t about one man. It was about whether a society can handle the truth.”
One question that stood out for me in their debate was: Would Socrates or Jesus Be Prouder of Modern Peru? The Pumas tackled this profound question not as a religious debate, but as a lens to examine modern society through two of history's most influential thinkers.
Their responses revealed striking insights. Maitane thought Socrates would appreciate democratic progress but deplore inequality. Jesus, she said, would lament materialism. Sofía argued, “Socrates would praise Peru’s free press and debate culture: things he died for in Athens,” though both, she admitted, would critique humanity’s failures. Camilo didn’t hesitate: “Neither! Socrates hated blind obedience to tradition. Jesus would rage against megachurches next to slums.”
The theme was clear: cautious admiration mixed with disappointment. Mayu suggested Jesus might value Peru’s communal spirit, Socrates its youth fighting corruption, “but Socrates would find us still afraid of hard truths.” Leyla was more hopeful: Jesus might enjoy Peru’s warmth and festivals. While Giulia was blunt: Socrates would call us “a nation of sleepwalkers avoiding hard questions.”
Ultimately, as Camilo wrote, “They weren't martyrs for this, for shopping malls where temples stood.”
The exercise revealed less about ancient ideals and more about the Pumas' own critical eye toward the gaps between society's promises and its realities.
Myth-Making: Lessons in Hubris, Justice, and Redemption
To deepen these themes, the Pumas created original Greek-style myths, wrestling with pride, sacrifice, and morality. As Giulia put it, “Myths are more than old tales, they’re mirrors. We still face the same struggles today, just in different forms.”
Camilo’s Mollis and the Journey to the Underworld explores self-sacrifice vs. loyalty, as a princess travels to the underworld to erase her father’s memory and save her village.
Leyla’s Lenis and the Excessive Generosity reveals how unchecked altruism becomes self-destruction, as a Spartan girl learns that even kindness needs limits.
Mayu’s Flumen the Hard-Worker tells of an Athenian consumed by work, who battles his inner “Demand” to learn that rest is not failure, it’s the foundation of greatness.
Sofía’s Efís and Artemis’ Curse is about pride and forgiveness, as a fallen princess earns redemption through perseverance.
Giulia’s Akoustiká, Aphrodite and Pheselo explores unrequited love and hubris, showing how divine punishment reveals our deepest fears.
Maitane’s Iremi and Kyma closes the collection with a haunting story of envy and betrayal between sisters, showing how jealousy destroys both victim and perpetrator.
These weren’t just stories, they were conversations across time. Camilo asks what we owe others vs. ourselves. Leyla challenges our assumptions about virtue. Mayu questions modern society's obsession with productivity. And in Maitane’s tragic sisters, we see the emotional battles we all face.
The brilliance lies in how these young philosophers made ancient truths speak to modern dilemmas about power, love, ambition, morality, and what it means to be human.
The Trial of Socrates: Questioning Democracy and Free Thought
By the session’s end, the Pumas didn’t just learn about Greece, they experienced its philosophical clashes firsthand. They left with a sharper understanding of:
The fragility and potential of democracy
The courage it takes to challenge injustice
The timeless battle between fear and free thought
For the Exhibition, the studio became ancient Athens as they reenacted the Trial of Socrates. Mayu embodied Socrates, defending himself with relentless questioning: “What is corruption? If my questions weaken Athens, perhaps Athens needs examining.” Camilo, as Lycon, stood his ground: "How can we learn from a man who admits he know nothing? He doesn’t offer answers, just endless doubt!". Sofía, as Meletus, argued that questioning traditions was dangerous. Daniel’s Anytus insisted, “The law must be upheld!”
In a twist, the parent jury acquitted Socrates, this time.
But the most powerful reflections came after, when Pumas compiled their badges. “I played Socrates’ defender,” Maitane said, “but I wanted him to flee. That’s when I realized: we abandon principles when they become inconvenient.” Camilo added, “We say we value free thought, yet we still silence uncomfortable questions.”
As Mayu put it, “The jury spared me, but would we spare real truth-tellers?”
The Pumas walked away with more than knowledge. They saw that democracy’s strength isn’t in what it shields from questions, but in what it learns from them.
Or as Sofía noted: “Socrates’ trial wasn’t just about one man, it was about whether a society can handle the truth.”
