Socratic Method
The Socratic method (also known as Socratic debate) is a form of cooperative argumentative dialogue between individuals, based on asking and answering questions to stimulate critical thinking and to draw out ideas and underlying presuppositions.
The Socratic method is a method of hypothesis elimination, in that better hypotheses are found by steadily identifying and eliminating those that lead to contradictions.
The Socratic method searches for general commonly held truths that shape beliefs and scrutinizes them to determine their consistency with other beliefs.
The basic form is a series of questions formulated as tests of logic and fact intended to help a person or group discover their beliefs about some topic; exploring definitions, and seeking to characterize general characteristics shared by various particular instances.
Method
- Socrates' interlocutor asserts a thesis, for example "Courage is endurance of the soul".
- Socrates decides whether the thesis is false and targets for refutation.
- Socrates secures his interlocutor's agreement to further premises, for example "Courage is a fine thing" and "Ignorant endurance is not a fine thing".
- Socrates then argues, and the interlocutor agrees, these further premises imply the contrary of the original thesis; in this case, it leads to: "courage is not endurance of the soul".
- Socrates then claims he has shown his interlocutor's thesis is false and its negation is true.
One elenctic examination can lead to a new, more refined, examination of the concept being considered, in this case it invites an examination of the claim: “Courage is wise endurance of the soul”. Most Socratic inquiries consist of a series of elenchi and typically end in puzzlement known as aporia.
The Modern Way
Today, the Socratic method differs from the historical version of the method in that it doesn’t rely completely on the answers students give. Rather, it’s driven by a specific set of questions that are designed to lead students to a given idea. By setting up the questioning this way, professors are able to keep their classes engaged and excited about the discussion.
Moreover, using questions that students understand allows them to immerse themselves in an atmosphere where students are actually learning rather than simply parroting back information and forgetting it as soon as they can.
Why Use the Socratic Method?
There are 3 main reasons the Socratic method is still used today.
- It helps develop critical thinking skills.
- It gets students ready to think quickly.
- It forces students to be prepared and attentive.
The Socratic method leads to critical thinking skills by showing students how to identify the weak points in an argument. Once they can identify what makes an argument weak, they can then strategize the argument at a higher level.