Socratic Method

The method of dialogical questioning practised by Socrates, which exposes contradictions in supposed knowledge through purposeful inquiry.

The Socratic method is a dialogical procedure in which the teacher (Socrates) uses systematic questioning to lead interlocutors to examine their own beliefs and recognise their ignorance. The goal is not the transmission of ready-made answers, but the induction of aporia as a precondition for genuine understanding. The Stoics adopted this principle of intellectual humility and made it the foundation of their pedagogical practice.