Plato is Socrates' student and perhaps the greatest philosopher of all time. He employed the voice of Socrates in his dialogues, which are often written in the form of little plays or narrated speeches. In this particular one, Plato tells the story of the trial of Socrates by recounting Socrates' speeches in his own defence. It is impossible to tell where Socrates' ideas end and Plato's begin.
The Socratic Method:
Socrates is famous for a number of things, not least of which is his method of doing philosophy. Socrates employed a method known as dialectic. Dialectic, or the Socratic Method, is a question and answer styled conversation in which the 'expert' is examined by a questioner who feigns ignorance. This feigned ignorance is sometimes known as 'Socratic Irony'. The questions are designed to lead the 'expert' into contradictory statements, revealing the fact that the 'expert' is no expert at all. Often the questioner does not attempt to solve the issue, the point is rather to prove that the 'expert' doesn't know what he/she is talking about. You should try the Socratic Method on your friends, they will love it!
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