Dialogue and Discovery: A Study in Socratic MethodThis book examines the Socratic method of elenchus, or refutation. Refutation by its very nature is a conflict, which in the hands of Plato becomes high drama. The continuing conversation in which it occurs is more a test of character than of intellect. Dialogue and Discovery shows that, in his conversations, Socrates seeks to define moral qualities--moral essences--with the goal of improving the soul of the respondent. Ethics underlies epistemology because the discovery of philosophic truth imposes moral demands on the respondent. The recognition that moral qualities such as honesty, humility, and courage are necessary to successful inquiry is the key to the understanding of the Socratic paradox that virtue is knowledge. The dialogues receiving the most emphasis are the Apology, Gorgias, Protagoras, and Meno. |
Contents
Socratic Philosophy and the Dialogue Form | 1 |
2 DIALOGUE AND THE WRITTEN WORD | 4 |
3 HIDING BEHIND THE WRITTEN WORD | 8 |
4 EPISTEMOLOGICAL OPTIMISM | 10 |
5 IMPENDING TRAGEDY | 13 |
6 THE FUSION OF TRAGEDY AND COMEDY | 16 |
Dialogue and the Search for Essence | 23 |
2 SOCRATIC ESSENTIALISM | 26 |
7 SOCRATIC PIETY | 90 |
Socrates as Teacher | 97 |
1 GETTING OFF ON THE WRONG FOOT | 98 |
2 ELENCTIC EDUCATION | 100 |
3 KNOWING AND REMEMBERING | 103 |
4 RECOLLECTION AND IMMORTALITY | 107 |
5 THE DUTY TO INQUIRE | 110 |
Socrates and the Teaching of Virtue | 117 |
3 TWO QUALIFICATIONS | 30 |
4 DEFINITION AND REFUTATION | 32 |
5 REFUTATION AND RECOLLECTION | 35 |
6 METHOD AND MORALS | 37 |
7 A SISYPHEAN DILEMMA | 44 |
Socrates as Speech Maker | 55 |
1 RHETORIC AS AN APPEAL TO PROBABILITY | 56 |
2 BEATING THE RHETORICIANS AT THEIR OWN GAME | 58 |
3 RHETORIC AND MORAL IMPROVEMENT | 61 |
4 THE PURPOSE OF PARODY | 64 |
5 A BENEFACTOR TO THE CITY? | 67 |
Socrates as Hero | 73 |
1 THE CONTEXT OF THE TRIAL | 74 |
2 SOCRATES MISSON | 77 |
3 KNOWING THAT ONE DOES NOT KNOW | 81 |
TEMPERANCE | 84 |
5 COURAGE | 87 |
6 JUSTICE | 89 |
1 PROTAGORAS AND GORGIAS ON MORAL IMPROVEMENT | 119 |
2 SOCRATIC DOUBTS ABOUT THE TEACHING OF VIRTUE | 121 |
3 MEMOS NEED FOR VIRTUE AND THE THERAPEUTIC EFFECTS OF ELENCHUS | 123 |
4 VIRTUE TEACHING AND RECOLLECTION | 127 |
5 DID MENO LEARN VIRTUE? | 129 |
6 PLATONIC AFTERTHOUGHTS | 131 |
Conclusion Virtue and Knowledge | 135 |
1 VOLUNTARY AND INVOLUNTARY BEHAVIOR | 136 |
2 PHILOSOPHY AS THERAPY | 139 |
3 SISYPHUS REVISITED | 142 |
4 SOCRATES INTELLECTUALISM | 144 |
WHAT SOCRATES CAN AND CANNOT ACCOUNT FOR | 145 |
6 PLATO AND THE TRAGIC DIMENSION OF SOCRATIC THOUGHT | 149 |
Gorgias Apology of Palamedes | 155 |
| 163 | |
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Common terms and phrases
According accused Alcibiades answer Apology of Socrates argued argument Aristotle assumption Athenian Athens behavior believe Bluck Callicles Cambridge Chapter Charmides conception conclusion conviction Cornford courage Critias criticism Crito death defense definition dialectic discovery discussion divine E. R. Dodds early dialogues elenchus elenctic elenctic examination elenctic process epistemological essence Euthyphro evil example fact geometry gods Gorgias Greek human hypothesis ignorance inquiry interpretation Irwin jury justice knowledge Kraut Laches mean Meletus method moral never object opinion Palamedes paradox parody passage person Phaedo Phaedrus piety Plato Polus position possible present problem Protagoras question reader reason refutation Republic respondent rhetoric Robinson sense Socrates claims Socratic dialogues Socratic elenchus Socratic philosophy someone Sophist soul speaker speech taught teach virtue teaching of virtue Theaetetus theory of recollection things tion tragedy true truth understanding University Press Vlastos wants words Xenophon