An intelligent boy of seventeen who was having difficulty with his school work recently said to me, “I think it is because I really am not interested, and the things I wish to know they do not teach in our school because the colleges will not give credit for them.” When I asked him what study would interest him, he replied that he thought he would like to try philosophy and requested me to suggest a good book for a beginner, declaring that he intended to take up this study in addition to his school work. I have no doubt that had he made this request of one of his instructors he would have been told that he had better spend his time preparing his lessons. But I took a chance that his interest might be genuine, and told him that I thought he would find Plato’s “Republic” a good introduction to Philosophy, and suggested that he read the first four books. During the previous semester he had been permitted to drop one of his courses because reading was “too great a strain upon his eyes.” When I next saw the boy I inquired how he had got on with the “Republic.” He said, “Why, I found it so exciting that I did not stop at the end of the first four books, but read all ten.” When I asked him what he found interesting in the dialogues, he said, “I do not understand many of the conclusions they reached, but I enjoyed listening in on those conversations. They are so logical, and I liked the way Socrates leads the others along, springs surprises on them, and makes them see what they mean by what they say. I begin to see what the difference is between thinking and just talking--and many passages were beautiful also.” For the first time in his life, he had realized that the pursuit of knowledge could be an interesting adventure. Moreover, his parents told me that he had shown improvement in his regular studies.