The Socratic Method — A Take Five Primer
The Lost Art of Master Educators and Crafty Statesman
5 Seconds-
The Socratic Method is a technique for debate and dialogue that leads your opponent to self-discovery through the use of questions.
5 Minutes-
The Socratic Method is also known as Elenchus and Maieutics. These terms have fallen completely out of favor in almost every circle you are likely to encounter, but they are important to understanding exactly what the Socratic Method truly is.
Elenchus
More commonly, The Method of Elenchus is a term for logical refutation. While Elenchus is clearly shorter, either is a mouthful, but they are the key to understanding the technique. The goal is getting the other person to refute their own statements. This is done through a series of questions.
The Socratic Method is effectively a cooperative effort at building a logical proof. Both parties can be aware of this or it can be used by one person upon another (or a group). Assuming one person is seeking to lead another, they set out to ask questions of the other’s point of view. As professed facts/beliefs are uncovered, the leader begins a process of investigating the validity of those facts — not directly, through iterative questioning.
Maieutics
Pronounced as My U Tics, it is the Greek word for ‘wet-nurse’. I am fairly certain, that fact alone provides all the color and analogy one needs to further their understanding of this method. But for the sake of completeness, let’s say that this adds a powerful nurturing element.
Ben Franklin
Somewhere in the great beyond, Franklin is likely getting a kick out of how he is arriving in this article. This, of course, has everything to do with his love of the wet-nurse as an analogy and nothing to do with his love of any particular wet-nurse or women in general…
Franklin also loved the Socratic Method. He is one of history’s most well-documented practitioners. He devotes several paragraphs in his autobiography to describing aspects of the method, its impact on his demeanor and reputation, and the great joy he took in winning arguments with it.
The Advantage
The Socratic Method has two distinct advantages over other forms of debate. First it is indirect. You are not required to directly refute your adversaries statements. Instead, you can ask much more subtle and polite questions designed to bring them to those facts on their own.
Second, when successful, the Socratic Method is likely to leave your opponent believing they came to their conclusions on their own. Many people are highly resistant to being told what is right. If they come there on their own, it is an entirely different matter.
5 Hours -
If you have a few hours, reading Memorabilia by Xenophon is the most direct way of connecting with the original master.
5 Days -
Various organizations, like LearnNC, provide Attending a handful of these sessions could provide you the opportunity to learn from other practitioners and practice this technique yourself.
5 Weeks -
If you are looking to learn more, consider enrolling in a course like those offered at Duquesne University.
Take Five Primers are an article format created by Corsair’s Institute to increase the reader’s comprehension of key concepts by providing learning opportunities that are tailored to the amount of time the reader wishes to engage with a particular subject.
