Socratic Methods

Some of Socratic Methods

1.) Socratic questioning (or Socratic maieutics[->0] is disciplined questioning[->1] that can be used to pursue thought[->2] in many directions and for many purposes, including: to explore complex ideas, to get to the truth[->3] of things, to open up issues and problems, to uncover assumptions, to analyze concepts, to distinguish what we know from what we don't know, to follow out logical implications[->4] of thought, or to control the discussion. The key to distinguishing Socratic questioning from questioning per se is that Socratic questioning is systematic, disciplined, and deep, and usually focuses on fundamental concepts, principles, theories, issues, or problems.

2.) Socratic method

Perhaps his most important contribution to Western[->5] thought is his dialectic[->6] method of inquiry, known as the Socratic method or method of "elenchus", which he largely applied to the examination of key moral concepts such as the Good and Justice[->7]. It was first described by Plato in the Socratic Dialogues. To solve a problem, it would be broken down into a series of questions, the answers to which gradually distill the answer a person would seek. The influence of this approach is most strongly felt today in the use of the scientific method[->8], in which hypothesis[->9] is the first stage. The development and practice of this method is one of Socrates' most enduring contributions, and is a key factor in earning his mantle as the father of political philosophy[->10], ethics[->11] or moral philosophy, and as a figurehead of all the central themes in Western philosophy[->12].To illustrate the use of the Socratic method; a series of questions[->13] are posed to help a person or group to determine their underlying beliefs[->14] and the extent of their knowledge. The Socratic method is a negative method of hypothesis[->15] elimination, in that better hypotheses are found by steadily identifying and eliminating those that lead to...