Socratic method
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The Socratic method is a form of argumentative dialogue in which an individual probes a conversation partner on a topic, using questions and clarifications, until the partner is pressed to come to a c
Marcello Bacciarelli's Alcibiades Being Taught by Socrates (1776)
UWA Socrates gobeirne cropped
Socrates Pio Clementino Inv 314
Plato
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Plato was an ancient Greek philosopher of Classical Athens who is most commonly considered the foundational thinker of the Western philosophical tradition. An innovator of the literary dialogue and di
Socratic method
…with the Greek term elenchus. Socratic dialogues between characters employing this method feature in many of the works of the ancient Greek philosopher Plato, where a fictionalized version of his real-life teacher Socrates debates or expounds upon various philosophical issues with a partner. In Plato's…
Plato was one of the devoted young followers of Socrates, whose bust is pictured above.
Heraclitus (1628) by Hendrick ter Brugghen. Heraclitus saw a world in flux, with everything always in conflict, constantly changing.
Bust of Parmenides from Velia. Parmenides saw the world as eternal and unchanging, that all change was an illusion.
The mathematical and mystical teachings of the followers of Pythagoras, pictured above, exerted a strong influence on Plato.