Socratic method facts for kids

The Socratic Method (also called the Method of Elenchus or Socratic Debate) is a special way of asking questions. It is named after the Greek philosopher Socrates. It's a way of thinking and talking to find out the truth.

The main idea of the Socratic Method is called an elenchus. This word means to argue to show that something is wrong or to prove it false.

Learning About Socrates

Most of what we know about Socrates comes from his student, Plato. Socrates himself did not write any books or notes.

Socrates was known for not giving direct answers. He famously said, "I know that I know nothing." Socrates believed that the person he was talking to already had the answer inside their mind. He just helped them find it by asking the right questions.

How the Socratic Method Works

In Plato's early writings, Socrates used the elenchus to explore ideas like justice or what it means to be good. Here's how it generally worked:

• Someone would state an idea. For example, they might say, "Being brave means you can keep going no matter what."
• Socrates would then ask them to agree to other simple ideas. For instance, "Being brave is a good thing," and "Doing something silly or without knowing what you're doing isn't good."
• Next, Socrates would show, and the person would agree, that these new ideas actually meant the opposite of their first statement. So, if being brave is good, but doing something silly isn't, then "brave" can't just mean "keeping going no matter what" (because you could keep going foolishly). This would lead to: "Being brave is not just about keeping going no matter what."
• Finally, Socrates would say that he had shown the first idea was not completely true.

Why Socrates Used This Method

Many people wonder if the Socratic Method was meant to find new knowledge or just to show that someone's ideas were wrong.

According to a scholar named W.K.C. Guthrie, the Socratic Method was used to show people what they didn't know. Socrates believed that true knowledge was possible. But he also thought the first step to learning was to realize you didn't know everything.

Guthrie wrote that Socrates would say he didn't know anything himself. He felt he was wiser than others only because he knew he was ignorant, while others thought they knew everything. The main goal of the Socratic Method was to help someone realize that even though they thought they knew something, they actually didn't.

See also

In Spanish: Método socrático para niños