Outline i) The Socratic method as a process for arriving at knowledge

of the truth and ii) the philosophical difficulties involved in the

Socrates was born in Athens in the year 469 B.C.E. He was born
incredibly ugly, giving him a major disadvantage in a society that
worshipped male beauty. However, despite his physical appearance,
he is known to have changed the course of philosophy as he focused
on ‘man’ rather than on ‘nature’.
i) During Socrates’ time, the Sophists were promoting the idea that
there is no real truth. However, Socrates challenged this idea. His aim
was to uncover weaknesses in the doubtful and relative arguments
used by the Sophists and restore these with a philosophy based on
truth. In order to do this, he needed a basis upon which to base his
philosophy. This led him to realise that he didn’t need to look for
knowledge in nature, but in man himself. Therefore, he went on to
create the idea of the ‘soul’ or ‘psyche’ which meant the conscious
personality and capacity for intelligence of a person. Socrates
believed that the purpose of the soul was to control the body in its
everyday conduct and that the soul meant knowing what some
words, like justice, mean Socrates also stated that if we can give a
definition of a concept, then we truly understand it. He strongly
believed that man can gain knowledge, and that this knowledge is
the basis of our morality. He believed that knowledge is inside of us
but can only be brought out through skilful questioning, just like a
midwife brings out the newborn baby.
Such knowledge can be acquired through the Socratic method. The
Socratic method is a form of cooperative argumentative dialogue to
stimulate critical thinking and illuminate ideas. It is formed by a
series of questions and answers, which ultimately bring out the
knowledge inside a person. The Socratic method usually begins by
questioning assumptions or general beliefs. It involves asking open-
ended questions that require more than just a simple yes or no
answer. These questions prompt deeper reflection. In this dialectical
process, the teacher guides the student through a series of
questions, leading them to discover the misconceptions in their
thinking. Through the use of elenchus, Socrates highlighted mistakes
and inconsistencies in the student’s beliefs. In this method, Socrates
was also known to challenge answers given by speakers. He also
made use of Socratic irony, which involved asking questions about
the simplest topics that everyone assumed that he or she knew.
Socrates also believed in the importance of definitions
An example of the Socratic method can be found in Plato’s Meno
which explains how Socrates found a boy who had no knowledge of
mathematics, and, through skilful questioning, guided him to prove a
mathematical theorem.
ii) Socrates believed that through reasoning and reflection, we could
come to understand the general order of things. This led to the
Teological concept. This concept explained that everything has an
end or a goal in life and by striving for that goal, one is fulfilling
his/her objective. Just like everything in life has a function that it
does best, Socrates believed that the same meant for knowledge and
virtue. Through virtue, the soul is made as good as it can be. He
believed that if one knew good, it meant that that person would also
do good. Therefore, knowledge is virtue. On the other hand, the
absence of knowledge or ignorance is evil or vice. Socrates believed
that, although some people indulge in things that are not considered
good, humans do not commit evil acts because they know they are
bad, but because they believe that there is some good in them. He
also believed that humas do things that bring happiness and
although some things seem to bring happiness, they do not. This is
why knowledge is essential for us to be able to distinguish between
what seems to give happiness and what truly does so. When we
finally achieve knowledge, we can then decide what behaviour will
lead us to happiness. Despite this belief, Socratic moral optimism
assumes that knowing good will lead to doing good. However, human
behaviour is influenced by emotions, desires and external
circumstances. The difference between knowing what is right and
actually acting it out is big. In this regard, Socrates may have
oversimplified human behaviour. To add to this, different cultures
have different moral ideologies and so, the Socratic method might
mean different things to different cultures. What is considered right
and virtuous in one culture, might be different from other cultures.
This challenges the universality of Socrates’ ideas. Moreover, even if
knowledge were enough to bring about virtue, acquiring such
knowledge may not be practical to everyone. This is because
Socrates’ method might not be available to everyone around the
world.
In conclusion, Socrates came up with many great ideas in philosophy
and contributed greatly to the development of philosophical ideas.
Although he did not come from high class and was quite ugly, he still
challenged ideas of his time. However, despite coming up with great
ideas, his ideas are not perfect. He was ultimately sentenced to death
as he was accused of going against belief in the gods.