SOCRATIC METHOD: CHARACTERISTICS, PARTS AND EXAMPLE - PHILOSOPHY - 2025

The Socratic method, also called Socratic debate, is a way of arguing between two people cooperatively to stimulate critical thinking in both individuals. That is, the method is put into practice when two people ask each other questions to promote answers that create new ways of thinking.

It is a completely dialectical method, which is based on questioning the questions of the individuals who are part of the conversation. In many cases, the person asking questions often questions their beliefs based on the answers given by their counterpart in the conversation.

Many times a person asking questions may contradict himself during the conversation, weakening the veracity of his argument. Therefore, it is considered to be a hypothesis elimination method, since the correct answer is found after discarding the invalid ones throughout each debate.

characteristics

Emergence of new ideas

When conducting a Socratic debate, it is common for new ideas and points of view to emerge regarding each of the topics presented by each participant.

When one person presents an idea and another participant refutes it, the thinking used by the original proponent to defend it stimulates new and critical thinking.

Generation of contradictions

One of the main objectives of the Socratic method is that someone who makes a hypothesis must at some point contradict himself. The goal of the discussion participant who does not make a hypothesis is to present ideas to the participant who does, so that he or she contradicts himself.

From the contradictions that are generated in this debate, new ideas and points of view are created that enrich the knowledge of the individuals who carry out this method.

The Socratic debater

Anyone who participates in a Socratic debate must have a series of basic characteristics for the debate to be carried out correctly. Mainly, every debater should keep the flow of the discussion focused on the main topic and not deviate from it.

Also, the conversation should have an intellectual tone and the discussion should be stimulated by asking questions that elicit new thoughts.

It is also important that participants periodically summarize the things that have been discussed and those that have not, to know the flow that the debate has had.

Parts

Step 1: approach the idea

Commonly, the Socratic method is carried out by two participants (participant A and participant B). The first thing to do when starting the debate is for participant A to establish a hypothesis with which participant B does not agree, so that critical thinking can be generated.

Step 2: question generation

When a hypothesis of participant A is found with which participant B does not agree, participant B begins to establish a series of hypotheses contrary to the original idea of ​​participant A so that he is forced to analyze what he said.

During this stage, it is common for participant A to generate new ideas about his original hypothesis while trying to defend it. It is during the second step of this debate that the critical thinking of its participants is really generated.

Step 3: definition

The development of ideas between both participants is usually defined in two ways. According to the original method - carried out by the Greek thinker Socrates - the hypotheses of participant B should have the objective of generating contradictions in the answers of participant A.

If participant B succeeds in making participant A contradict himself, then participant B becomes right in the debate. On the other hand, participant A may not contradict himself; in this case, the debate continues until a contradiction is generated.

In Socrates' original method, it was the same Greek thinker who took the role of participant B.

Step 4: conclusion

Finally, when participant A is able to contradict himself, participant B can conclude that the original hypothesis presented by A is not valid.

However, the debate does not have a "winner" and a "loser." When participant A's hypothesis is proven to be invalid, he generates a new point of view about his original idea; This is the objective of the debate.

Example

Step 1

First, one of the members of the debate must present a concept. For practical purposes, the one presenting their concept is called participant A.

Your counterpart (the other participant in the debate, participant B) must refute the idea if he considers it false. If the idea established by the first person to speak is not disproved, move on to the next idea.

Step 2

When he comes across an idea that participant B disagrees with, he goes on to pose a series of questions to participant A to determine his true opinion about his idea.

For example, if participant A states that “the sky is a creation of God”, participant B proceeds to establish ideas such as “the sky is light blue” or “seeing the sky is an ambiguous concept”.

The arguments of participant B must be denied or accepted by participant A, in order to determine their understanding of the original idea.

Step 3

Then participant B demonstrates to participant A that, by agreeing with some of the ideas proposed by participant B, then the original idea is not valid. That is, if participant A accepts the premises of participant B (in this case, "heaven is not a creation of God").

Step 4

If participant A agreed with the ideas of participant B and his original idea is contradicted, then participant B can affirm that the idea of ​​participant A is not valid, since the arguments that were established in the debate can be used to invalidate the idea. hypothesis established by A.

References

1. The Socratic Method, University of Chicago, (nd). Taken from uchicago.edu
2. Socratic Teaching, Foundation of Critical Thinking, (nd). Taken from criticalthiking.org
3. What is the Socratic Method ?, Philosopher Website, 2018. Taken from philosopoher.org
4. What Is the Socratic Method? Definition & Examples, C. Serva, (nd). Taken from study.com
5. Socratic Method, Wikipedia in English, 2018. Taken from wikipedia.org