What Is Socratic Dialogue? Definition, Examples & How To Use It Properly

Socratic dialogue is a technique of teaching and learning that is based on the questions and answers of Socrates.

It’s a way of teaching that involves questioning, learning and discussion with a student or group of students.

Socratic dialogue involves three main parts: question-and-answer, repetition and revision (repeating back what has been learned). The teacher poses a question to which the student then answers.

What Is Socratic Dialogue?

This process continues until each party feels confident about their answer. Then the teacher asks another question, and so on until everyone has had a chance to speak.

The goal of this type of teaching is not just to get students to think critically about ideas but also to help them develop skills in expressing themselves clearly and persuasively. This can be done through many different methods such as role play, dialogue games and cooperative learning activities.

How Is Socratic Dialogue Used?

Socratic dialogue is used when the participants in a conversation want to learn something from one another. The purpose of this type of conversation is to help people understand each other’s points of view, rather than make a final judgment.

Socratic dialogue asks questions but does not judge the answers. The teacher asks questions that encourage students to think about their own ideas and beliefs, rather than simply parroting back what they have been taught.

The teacher listens carefully for any misunderstandings or gaps in understanding. If a student says something that seems wrong or that you disagree with, you can ask him or her why he or she thinks it is true or false.

The goal of Socratic dialogue is not to come out with a conclusion based on your own personal opinion but rather to understand the other person’s point of view and see if there are any missing pieces that need to be added into your thinking.

Background On Socratic Dialogue

In Plato’s dialogues, Socrates is the main character. He is a man who has lived a very long life and has seen many different things. Socrates believes that all knowledge can be learned, and he tries to teach his students how to learn.

   

Socrates was born in Athens around 470 B.C.E., during the time of the Peloponnesian War. He was a student of Plato, who was also born in Athens around 427 B.C.E., during the time of the Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta.

Socrates’ goal is to convince others to think for themselves rather than follow what someone else tells them to do. In order to teach others, Socrates often uses a method called Socratic dialogue (also called Socratic questioning). This method consists of asking questions and having conversations with people about their beliefs, values, and goals in life so they can discover their own answers for themselves by questioning themselves rather than being told about it by someone else

Classic Socratic Dialogue Examples

The dialogue below is an example of a Socratic dialogue, in which Socrates asks questions to help his interlocutor to think about what he has said.

Socrates: What do you mean by justice?

Parmenides: I mean this.

Socrates: And what is that?

Parmenides: To hold the same thing in thought and language, both when one is speaking and when one is silent.

Socrates: But tell me, what is it that holds it in thought; for I think I see clearly now what you meant by holding it in thought and language. Do you mean to say that there is no yearling or infant at all? Or do you mean that there are two yearsling or infants, one of which is being taught by the other? For if there were only one yearling or infant I should not say that it held itself in thought; but if there were two, I should say that the older held itself in thought; for the younger would be learning from its elder brother how to do this or that. For example, suppose we were going to build a house

What Is Socratic Dialogue Used For?

Socratic dialogue is a form of teaching that involves asking questions and providing answers in order to get students to think about their ideas. It is often used in classrooms, but it can also be used with individual students or teams of students.

Socratic dialogue is a method of teaching that was developed by the ancient Greek philosopher Socrates (469-399 BC). In this method, Socrates would ask questions and then wait for his students to answer them before moving on to another question.

He would also use other methods such as asking his students questions about what they had heard him say or simply asking them if they understood something that he had said.

Socratic Dialogue Benefits

Socratic dialogue has three main benefits:

It helps you understand your audience better by listening to them instead of lecturing at them;

It improves communication skills by encouraging others to express themselves clearly;

It increases critical thinking skills by forcing people into conversations where they must think about their own opinions and beliefs rather than simply parroting what someone else has told them.

How To Use Socratic Dialogue In Screenwriting

Socratic dialogue is a form of character development that uses questions, statements and arguments to create conflict and drama. In screenwriting, this can be used to show the growth, development or change of a character.

The most effective way to use socratic dialogue in screenplays is to use it at the beginning of a scene. The writer should introduce an issue or problem that needs solving by two characters who are conflicting with each other.

This can be done through dialogue or action. For example, if two characters are arguing about whether or not they should buy a car, they could start their argument by saying something like: “I don’t want a car.”

This will create tension between them right away because they’re disagreeing about something important and potentially life-changing for both characters.

Socratic Dialogue Examples – Gordan Gekko’s Speech In Wall Street

Socrates: Tell me, is knowledge a good thing?

Gekko: Knowledge is the best thing.

Socrates: Is it the same for all people?

Gekko: No, not at all. Some people know lots of things and some people know few things.

Socrates: So what makes knowledge good? Is it that which supports life?

Gekko: Yes, Knowledge is good because it supports life. It helps us understand what we can do and how we can do it better than before.

Socrates: And what if I told you that knowledge was a bad thing? What would you say then?

Gekko: What do you mean by bad? If I don’t have knowledge then I will not be able to help myself or those around me in any way possible. It would be a terrible thing if I didn’t know anything about anything important in my day to day life!

Socratic Dialogue Examples – Interstellar Film

Interstellar is a 2014 American epic science fiction film directed, co-written and produced by Christopher Nolan. It stars Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Bill Irwin, John Lithgow and Casey Affleck. The film follows a group of astronauts who travel through a wormhole to find a new planet for humanity to inhabit.

The film was written by Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan. Filming took place in Louisiana from March to May 2013 with principal photography occurring at Shepperton Studios in London over June 2013 and July 2013.

It was filmed with an aspect ratio of 2.39:1, but was resized to 2.40:1 before theatrical release to fit more scenes on the screen.

The film premiered at the TCL Chinese Theatre on November 7, 2014 in Los Angeles before its general release on November 4, 2014 in the United States and Canada. It received mixed reviews from critics but was commercially successful grossing $167 million worldwide against its $165 million budget.

What Is Socratic Dialogue – Wrapping Up

It’s a question that’s been asked before, but it’s worth asking again: What is Socratic dialogue?

The short answer is that it’s a way of teaching, more specifically it’s a way of teaching philosophy. But how does that work?

That question is actually harder to answer. The best way to describe the practice of Socratic dialogue is by pointing at various examples where it can be seen in action. Here are some of them:

1) Socrates was a philosopher who lived in ancient Greece and wrote down his teachings on how one should live their life. These were the famous “Socratic dialogues”. He used this method to teach his students about how they should live their lives, instead of just telling them what they should believe or do.

2) Students would often come up to him and ask him questions about ethics or politics or anything else under the sun, and he would answer their questions with questions back at them until they understood what he was saying. This is called “Socratic dialogue”.

3) Another example where this method can be seen in action is when you’re trying to explain something complicated to someone who doesn’t understand it – for example if you’re explaining quantum physics to someone who doesn’t really understand it very well themselves