This tool will help improve your critical thinking Erick Wilberding
Socrates, one of the founding fathers
of Western philosophical thought,
was on trial.
Many Athenians believed
he was a dangerous enemy of the state,
accusing the philosopher
of corrupting the youth
and refusing to recognize their gods.
However, Socrates wasn’t feared
for claiming to have all the answers,
but rather, for asking too many questions.
While he loathed formal lectures,
the philosopher frequently
engaged friends and strangers
in lengthy conversations
about morality and society.
These discussions weren’t debates,
nor would Socrates offer explicit advice.
In fact, the philosopher often claimed
to know nothing at all,
responding to his partner’s answers
only with further questions.
But through this process,
Socrates probed their logic,
revealing its flaws and helping both
parties reach a more robust understanding.
These insightful questions made Socrates
beloved by his followers.
Two of his students, Plato and Xenophon,
were so inspired
that they replicated their mentor’s
process in fictional dialogues.
These invented exchanges
provide perfect examples
of what would come to be known
as the Socratic Method.
In one of these fabricated dialogues,
Socrates is conversing with
a young man named Euthydemus,
who is confident that he understands
the nature of justice and injustice.
Socrates probes the student’s values
by asking him to label actions
such as lying and theft
as just or unjust.
Euthydemus confidently categorizes
them as injustices,
but this only prompts another question:
is it just for a general to deceive
or pillage a hostile army?
Euthydemus revises his assertion.
He claims that these actions
are just when done to enemies,
and unjust when done to friends.
But Socrates isn’t finished.
He asks the young man to consider
a commander lying to his troops
to boost their morale.
Before long, Euthydemus is despondent.
It seems that every answer
leads to further problems,
and perhaps he’s not quite sure
what constitutes justice after all.
In employing this
question-oriented approach,
Socrates described himself as a midwife,
whose inquiries assist others
in giving birth to their ideas.
His method of questioning draws out an
individual’s unexamined assumptions,
and then challenges those biases.
It doesn’t always provide
definitive answers,
but the method helps clarify the questions
and eliminate contradictory
or circular logic.
And by following a line of inquiry
where it logically leads,
both the question asker and answerer
can end up in unexpected places.
This technique isn’t limited
by the conversation’s content,
making it incredibly useful
in numerous fields.
During the Renaissance, the method was
used to teach clinical medicine.
Students proposed their rationale
for different diagnoses,
while a doctor questioned their
assumptions and moderated discussion.
In this model, the method could even
produce conclusive results.
This same approach was later used
in other sciences,
such as astronomy, botany,
and mathematics.
Following the Protestant Reformation,
it was adapted to tackle abstract
questions of faith.
In the 19th century, the method
became an essential part
of American legal education.
Professors explored students’
understanding of judicial reasoning
by challenging them with unforeseen
hypothetical situations.
This approach is still used today
by the Supreme Court
to imagine the unintended impacts
of passing a law.
The Socratic Method can be adapted
to teach almost any topic
that relies on critical reasoning,
but its success depends on the teacher
employing it.
An effective Socratic educator
must be well versed in their subject.
Rather than bullying their students
or showing off their superior intellect,
they should be modest, genuinely curious,
and affirming of every contribution.
In this regard, Socrates himself
may not have been
the most subtle Socratic teacher.
Historians believe he was deeply critical
of Athens’ particular brand of democracy,
and known to pass those concerns
onto his followers.
These subversive beliefs were
distorted in public forums
and thought to have inspired
two of his pupils to treasonous ends.
It was likely for these ideas
Socrates was brought to trial,
and eventually,
sentenced to death.
But even on his deathbed, artists depict
a serene philosopher—
ever curious to explore
the ultimate question.