Socratic Method: The Elenchus

August 22, 2021August 30, 2021MyInfo Basket.com 10 Commentselenctic method, Importance of Socratic method, Socratic Method, Socratic Method examples, socratic method of philosophizing, socratic method of questioning, what is a socratic method, what is socratic method

What is a Socratic Method? The Socratic Method is a purposeful questioning of someone to test the coherence, consistency, and credibility of what he said.

The basic form is a series of questions formulated as tests of logic and fact intended to help a person critically understand his beliefs about issues and explore definitions and reasons.

Socratic Method

The term “elenchus” is Hellenistic Greek for inquiry or cross-examination. It is a kind of inquiry or examination that discloses people to themselves, making them see what their opinions really amount to. (Read: Evaluate truth from opinions in different situations using the methods of philosophizing)

The Socratic Method or method of elenchus is a form of logical refutation. This method called the elenchus refers to the Socratic method of stimulating critical thinking and drawing out ideas and underlying presuppositions.

This philosophical method (also called elenctic method or Socratic debate) is used to refute an argument. It is a type of cooperative argumentative dialogue between individuals, based on asking and answering questions to extract truth.

Socratic Method: leading to wisdom and truth

In his lectures Filipino Philosophy professorand textbook author Jensen DG. Mañebog explains that Socratic Method leads to wisdom and truth for it asks a series of incisive questions to determine whether a supposed knowledge could rationally be justified, defended, and accepted with clarity and logical consistency. In many ways, both Logic and Critical Thinking use this Socratic Method.

The elenchus intends not just to realize satisfactory definitions of things such as virtues, for it also has a moral reformatory purpose, for recurring elenctic philosophizing makes people more virtuous and happier.

The Socratic Method is a dialectical method introduced by Socrates as midwifery (maieutics) as it is used to bring out definitions implicit in people’s beliefs, or to help them improve or enhance their understanding. The elenchus is designed so that a person will come to realize what his opinions, no matter how long-held and deep-seated they may be, really amount to.

The Socratic Method is deemed as a hypothesis elimination as better hypotheses are discovered by progressively identifying and rejecting those that lead to contradictions. The Socratic Method can be used to examine commonly held truths that shape beliefs to ascertain their consistency with other beliefs.

Socratic Method: Examples and applications

One must remember that the Socratic Method is an open system of philosophical inquiry. An example is when a person methodically interrogates somebody about his beliefs or claims from many vantage points.

The Socratic Method makes philosophical inquiry a common human enterprise, open to every man. A person using the elenchus does not demand allegiance to a certain philosophical dogma, rather, he uses common sense and common speech.

Historically, Critical Thinking as a discipline traces its roots in analytic philosophy—in this reek Socratic tradition. To do this Socratic Method, a person asks probing questions to determine whether someone’s claims to knowledge could be rationally justified with clarity and logical consistency.

For more examples and applications of the Socratic Method, read Logic as a Branch of Philosophy: Featuring Critical Thinking and Debate and How to Improve Critical Thinking: Featuring Logic and Common Sense.

Note: Teachers may share this as a reading assignment of their students. For other free lectures like this (especially for students), visit Homepage: Introduction to the Philosophy of the Human Person

*Free lectures on the subject Pambungad sa Pilosopiya ng Tao

Philosophy of Man Articles:

Distinguish Opinion from Truth

Do a philosophical reflection on a concrete situation from a holistic perspective

Realize the Value of Doing Philosophy in Obtaining a Broad Perspective on Life

Distinguish a Holistic Perspective from a Partial Point of View (Holism vs Partial Perspective)

The Blind Men and the Elephant: Attaining a Holistic Perspective

Mga Libreng Lektura para sa Pambungad sa Pilosopiya ng Tao:

Nakikilala ang pagkakaiba ng katotohanan sa opinyon

Karanasan na nagpapakita ng pagkakaiba ng katotohanan sa opinyon lamang

Ang Pagkakaiba ng Pangkabuuang Pananaw at Pananaw ng mga Bahagi Lamang

Ang Halaga ng Pamimilosopiya sa Pagkakaroon ng Malawakang pananaw