The Socratic method : Plato's use of philosophical drama / Rebecca Bensen Cain.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Bensen Cain, Rebecca, 1952-

Series:

Continuum studies in ancient philosophy

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Plato.

Socrates.

Questioning.

Physical Description:

x, 135 pages ; 25 cm.

Place of Publication:

London ; New York : Continuum, [2007]

Summary:

This book develops a new account of Socratic method based on a psychological model of Socrates' character and conduct as portrayed dramatically in Plato's dialogues. Socratic method is a blend of three types of philosophical discourse: refutation, truth-seeking, and persuasion. Cain focuses on the persuasive features of the method since, in her view, it is this aspect of Socrates' method that best explains the content and the value of the dialectical arguments.

Emphasizing the persuasive aspect of Socratic method helps to uncover the operative standards of dialectical argumentation in fifth-century Athens. We see that Socrates uses ambiguity and other strategic fallacies with purposeful play and for moral ends. Taking specific examples from the dialogues, Cain shows how the interlocutor's personal character is linked to the arguments that Socrates constructs to refute him. Cain examines sophistic rhetoric and contentious debate in Socrates' time, and Aristotle's perspective on the techniques of argument and their purposes. The merit of this interpretation is that it gives breadth, depth, and balance to Socrates' argumentative style; it also shows that Plato, as a philosopher and a dramatist, is deeply concerned with the use and misuse of language. The book concludes with a discussion of the creative use of ambiguity and brings together the main topics of Socratic method, ambiguity, and drama in Plato and the ancient Greek literary tradition.

Contents:

Chapter 1 The Socratic Method of Dialectic 1

A Psychological Model 3

Vlastos' Epistemological Model 5

The Moral Aim 8

Examples from the Texts 10

Overview of the Three Functions 12

The Moral Aim Defended 14

Aporia and its Psychological Effects 16

Aporia and the Elenctic Function 17

Sincerity and Integrity 18

Examples from the Texts 20

Sincerity and Sincere Assent 21

Socratic Method and Shame 23

The Psychological Principle of Eudaimonism 26

Conclusion: A Constructive Approach 28

Chapter 2 The Protreptic Function 32

The Elenctic and Protreptic Functions 33

Examples from the Texts 37

The Use of Endoxa 39

The Protreptic Function and Three Endoxical Premises 43

Socratic Interlocutors 46

Examples of Protreptic Discourse 48

Conclusion: Protreptic Themes and Arguments 55

Chapter 3 Ambiguity and Argumentation 57

The Epistemic Function 59

A Detour to the Phaedrus 63

Ambiguity 67

Making the Meaning Clear 69

Two Examples from the Texts 71

Refuting and Persuading Polemarchus 76

Polus and the Desire for Power 85

Chapter 4 Ambiguity and Drama 94

Historical Background 95

Creative Use of Ambiguity 101

Perspectives on Refutation 104

The Normative Use of Technique 106

Dialectical Conduct and Conflict 109

The Drama and the Method 111.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [125]-132) and index.

ISBN:

0826488919

9780826488916

OCLC:

74524121