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What is the modern view on the Socratic method? Question
Socrates was fond of engaging in philosophical discourse where he would simply ask questions and not make any statements or assertions. This created a situation where all the conclusions come from the "student" (though Socrates himself would likely state that he himself is no less a student). Of course, the "teacher" has considerable input in that he carefully chooses the questions, but the initiative is still left with the student.
Reportedly, Socrates would claim that he "does not teach anything to anyone, but helps them discover what they already know".
I know that the Socratic method has endured as a practical method of pedagogy and debate, in which areas it has enjoyed popularity and success. Often laypeople rediscover it spontaneously, because it is obviously a solid way of teaching.
In terms of epistemology, what advances have been made with regards to Socrates's method? It seems to me like an early form of rationalism, that implies all knowledge is ultimately a priori. In fact it is a stronger form, in that the a priori deductions are expected to be always original rather than coming from another person. So it is anti-authority as well as favoring the a priori position.
Is there a modern branch of philosophy that is considered a direct descendant of Socrates thoughts on the acquisition of knowledge?
Note: An answer that simply namedrops the appropriate concepts/fields/schools and roughly sketches how they relate to each other would suffice. I am not expecting a comprehensive review of this likely broad topic.
1 answer
I am still in the throes of learning this myself, but I would say logical empiricism comes close, or more broadly, analytic philosophy.
It is common to hear nowadays that “logical positivism has been widely refuted”, but I am at this moment trying to learn more about why. As discussed here and here, I am not fully convinced logical positivism is dead yet, (according to my limited knowledge).
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