Socratic Dialogue

The Socratic dialogue is a form of debate that consists of a rapid exchange of questions and answers, which sparks critical thinking and sometimes leads one of the participants to contradict themselves, thereby strengthening the opponent’s argument.

The questions are designed to test the logical consistency of a particular statement. It starts with a general question, followed by clarifying questions, and continues in this manner until a final answer is reached. This system is also known as negative dialectics. Essentially, that’s what it is: the participants reject incorrect hypotheses by identifying logical errors through questioning, thus moving closer to the truth.

Such a dialogue begins when one person answers an initial question, prompting the other to ask a new question and initiating the process of critical thinking.

The Socratic dialogue is the purest form of critical thinking. It is based on the belief that a simple, superficial answer to a question is not enough. Instead, it encourages us to analyze the deeper, underlying layers of every question or statement. Is it A or B? Okay, let’s say you choose B, but why?

This is the essence of the Socratic method. It forces us to continually re-examine our beliefs, to filter out everything false, and ultimately arrive at the truth.

How to Use the Socratic Method

Who better to address this question than the Foundation for Critical Thinking, a nonprofit organization that has been researching this field for over three decades? The foundation’s experts have determined that to conduct a Socratic dialogue, you should follow these rules:

• Answer all of your partner’s questions with questions that force them to develop their thoughts further and deeper.
• Try to understand what makes your partner believe what they say and do, and use this understanding to ask new questions.
• Each new statement should be logically connected to the previous one.
• Remember that every idea and thought needs further development and deepening.
• Recognize that no idea exists in isolation; it is always interconnected with other thoughts and ideas. You should identify these connections and formulate new questions based on them.

In addition to these key points, there are other ways to prepare for a Socratic dialogue.

The most effective tactic is to think about your ultimate goal and work backward from it. In other words, you need to formulate the final question you want to ask and create a network of questions that can lead to it.

What Questions Should You Ask?

Of course, the questions you use in your dialogue will depend on the subject and topic of the conversation.

David Straker, a former Hewlett Packard consultant and author of the book “Change Mind: in Detail,” suggested several proven questions to start a Socratic dialogue. These questions can be divided into five groups: “Clarifying Concepts,” “Probing Assumptions,” “Probing Rationale,” “Exploring Viewpoints,” and “Probing Implications.”

Sample Questions

Clarifying Concepts

• Why do you call it that?
• What exactly do you mean by the word…?
• How is this related to what we’re discussing?
• What is the essence of…?

Probing Assumptions

• What other assumption could we make?
• It seems you assume that…
• Why do you base your argument on these assumptions?
• Please explain why/how…?

Probing Rationale

• Why does this happen?
• How do you know? Explain to me…
• Can you give me an example of what you’re talking about?
• What do you think is the reason for…?

Exploring Viewpoints

• Could this be seen from another perspective?
• Don’t you think this is reasonable?
• Are there alternative viewpoints on this issue?
• Why does it have to be…?
• Who benefits from this?

Probing Implications

• What will happen then?
• What consequences might there be if we assume that…?
• How could this be used?
• What are the implications of…?

Your questions will depend greatly on what you want to achieve as a result. That’s why it’s important to define your ultimate goal and work from there.