- Title Pages
- Dedication
- Preface
- Abbreviations
- 1 Plato, Socrates, and the Dialogues
- 2 Socrates' Method
- 3 Socrates' Arguments About the Virtues
- 4 Socrates: From Happiness to Virtue
- 5 Difficulties for Socrates
- 6 The Protagoras
- 7 The Argument of The Gorgias
- 8 Implications of The Gorgias
- 9 Socratic Method and Socratic Ethics: The Meno
- 10 The Theory of Forms
- 11 Republic I
- 12 Republic II: Objections to Justice
- 13 Republic IV: The Division of the Soul
- 14 Republic IV: The Virtues
- 15 Republic IV: Justice and Happiness
- 16 Republic V–VII
- 17 Republic VIII–IX on Justice
- 18 Platonic Love
- 19 Pleasure, Intelligence, and the Good
- 20 Reason and Virtue
- References
- Index Locorum
- Index Nominum
- General Index
Socrates' Method
Socrates' Method
- Chapter:
- (p.17) 2 Socrates' Method
- Source:
- Plato's Ethics
- Author(s):
Terence Irwin (Contributor Webpage)
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
The goal of chapter 2 is to analyse Socrates’ method. Firstly, it is argued that theSocratic method is not able to reach definitive conclusions. Secondly, it is shown that this occurs because of the use of real rather than nominal definitions. Finally, it is noted that, although this method cannot provide any proper knowledge, it constitutes a very good starting point to address moral problems with great care.
Keywords: Definition, Elenchos, Knowledge, Plato, Method, Socrates
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- Title Pages
- Dedication
- Preface
- Abbreviations
- 1 Plato, Socrates, and the Dialogues
- 2 Socrates' Method
- 3 Socrates' Arguments About the Virtues
- 4 Socrates: From Happiness to Virtue
- 5 Difficulties for Socrates
- 6 The Protagoras
- 7 The Argument of The Gorgias
- 8 Implications of The Gorgias
- 9 Socratic Method and Socratic Ethics: The Meno
- 10 The Theory of Forms
- 11 Republic I
- 12 Republic II: Objections to Justice
- 13 Republic IV: The Division of the Soul
- 14 Republic IV: The Virtues
- 15 Republic IV: Justice and Happiness
- 16 Republic V–VII
- 17 Republic VIII–IX on Justice
- 18 Platonic Love
- 19 Pleasure, Intelligence, and the Good
- 20 Reason and Virtue
- References
- Index Locorum
- Index Nominum
- General Index