What is the Socratic elenchus?

The Socratic elenchus is a form of cooperative argumentative dialogue and cross-examination used as the central technique of the Socratic method. Beginning with commonly held beliefs, a practitioner questions a partner using short questions and answers to test internal consistency and coherence. This process frequently leads to an impasse where the interlocutor's reasoning breaks down, forcing them to admit their own ignorance.

What we know

• The method of elenchus is a form of cooperative argumentative dialogue that serves as the central technique of the Socratic method. [4]
• The elenchus begins with commonly held beliefs and scrutinizes them through questioning to check for internal consistency and coherence. [2]
• The process often leaves participants at an impasse, unable to define what they thought they understood and forced to admit ignorance. [2, 3]
• The elenchus takes shape using short questions and answers, as demonstrated in Platonic texts examining abstract meanings or virtues. [3]

Where to go next

• whoWho was Socrates?
• how we knowWhat is the Socratic problem?
• compared withHow does dialectic differ from elenchus?
• the bigger pictureWhat is Plato's theory of Forms?
• what followedHow is the Socratic method used today?
• an unexpected connectionHow did a parasitic insect genus get named after elenchus?The Greek word elenchus, typically meaning refutation or cross-examination, was also adopted as the biological genus name for a group of parasitic insects in the family Elenchidae.

Sources

• [1]Socratic method (Wikidata Q839475) · CC0 1.0
• [2]Socratic method · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]Socrates · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]Elenchus · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]Dialectic · CC BY-SA 4.0