Buy essay on Socratic Method

In this paper it is necessary to talk about world famous Socratic method and observe it from various positions. The main aim of this paper is to discuss the dialogue between Socrates and his old friend Crito, and understand the true essence of the Socratic method of dialogue, basing on the example of conversation presented in Crito by Plato.
Let us give a little introduction to the story that will help us to plunge into it with more details. First of all it is necessary to mention that when Socrates was rather old, he has been convicted of the absence of honor to the Gods and the common bad influence on young people. Socrates has been forced to make a hard choice between exile from Athens, or real death. And, according to historical evidence, Socrates has chosen death. It is impossible to say that it was an easy choice for Socrates and his old friend Crito was trying to change Socrates’ opinion about existed situation and his fatalistic decision, but it was impossible due to many factors.
Crito by Plato is a good example of the Socratic method of dialogue, because Crito was trying to use a big variety of arguments against Socrates’ position, while all of them were nothing in regard to the point of view of the last. For instance, Crito has said that he and his friends were afraid of to loose their best friend in Socrates personality. Crito has said that people will accuse wealthy Crito in the unwillingness to save Socrates. In his turn, Socrates, objecting to Crito’s arguments, has shown the inability of the majority to make some great evil or great good, in virtue of which Crito had nothing to fear the opinions of other people. This example shows us that Socrates has challenged Crito’s argument rather easy and exactly the Socratic method of dialogue has helped him to do it. One more detail, Socrates response to all Crito’s arguments is based, in his opinion, only on ‘reasonable belief’, and fearlessness in front of an omnipotent majority, despite the scare and the threat of possible death and sufferings.
Observing the true essence of the Socratic method of dialogue it is important to emphasize that the Socratic method is a special way to philosophical debates. Socrates also called his own method of philosophical conversations as Socratic irony – a form of self-irony, constructed in a way that the object to which it is addressed would be able to come to his own natural and logical conclusion that the hidden meaning of ironic utterances are somewhere deep inside and following the premises of the person who ‘doesn’t know the truth’ it is possible to find it by self.
Thus, taking everything into consideration it is possible to say in conclusion that Plato has vividly described classic examples of Socrates’ dialogues and give his readers an opportunity to make own conclusion about the way how seemingly strong and moral reasoning of one person (it is Crito in our story) may be changed by other person’s arguments (Socrates’ great art of conversation). It is hard to say that one or other person, Crito or Socrates, wins the debate, because the main question of interest is not the result, but the way how Crito was trying to influence Socrates and how the last, using his own method of dialogue, proved the necessity of own position to the old friend.

Work cited
Plato. Crito, 360 B.C.E.