Argue like socrates
- In 3 Easy Steps
In truth, Socrates was probably the first, and maybe the greatest, trash talking philosopher ever – he was just subtle about the trash talk (i). If you tried beating him in an argument, you would be royally owned. He took on and obliterated Gorgias, one of the leaders of sophistry of the time (F.Y.I. sophistry is an ideology that stresses using logic and rhetoric to advance your own agenda – on par with the double crossing politician stereotype). On top of a killer argumentative style, he was a man that held strong to his convictions even till the end. He took on Athens and was sentenced to die – darn corrupt legal system. With his righteous sense of civil disobedience, he basically went off with a blaze of glory, bearing the title of philosophy’s martyr and remaining an important figure up to this day.
Today, his philosophy and style of argument, is popularized by law schools, movies like The Matrix, and many other outlets. But his scathing argumentative style can be taught… in 3 easy step.
1. Listen to your opponent: When Socrates discussed things with Euthyphro, one of the dialogues that emphasizes the Socratic method, Socrates definitely listened. Although it seems pretty intuitive, listening is a critical thing. Many people rush into arguments and frantically try to spew everything they have without really thinking about what the other person is saying. After understanding the basics of what your opponent is saying, you can move on to the next step. For instance, if you got in an argument about which dog food is the best, listen to the reasons of your opponent.
2. Search for the Truth: Socrates was highly concerned about knowledge, and what the ultimate truth was. In the famous Allegory of the Cave, Socrates depicts a scenario where people are chained to the ground looking at shadowy images on a wall made by people who use the real light of “truth” and distort it for those chained to the ground to see. Simply put, there are people who walk around acting like they know the truth of things, when in actuality they don’t understand it themselves or are merely manipulating the images for the enslaved to see. When looking at an argument, it’s necessary that you look at the scope, principles, and mechanisms of the argument. Continuing our example, if your opponent talks about the best dog food being Brand X, because his dog eats it and is the only dog food brand his dog ever ate, then those things (dog eats it and only brand ever eaten) are the foundations of the argument.
3. Laying the Socratic Smack-Down on Your Opponent: Often, many of Socrates’ argumentative opponents were annoyed by the end of the argument, such as Euthyphro or Gorgias mentioned above. But the real agitation wasn’t against Socrates, as so much as it was the discomfort of discovering the inherent contradictions and weaknesses in their arguments (ii). By integrating steps 1 and 2, it is now possible to lay the knock out punch by showing your opponent their weaknesses and contradictions – in a preferably playing around, non-snide kind of fashion. So, back to the earlier example about the Brand X dog food. Probing questions like, “Is Brand X really so great since your dog eats anything anyways?” or saying that, “Well I guess that is the best since your dog has tried Brand A – oh wait, it hasn’t.” Trapping your opponent in a way to get them to realize the problems with what they are saying can be fun and helps boost the ego, but realize – it wasn’t Socrates’ objective.
Moral of the Story: Just by the steps above, the father of western philosophy may seem easily mimicked, but he can never be duplicated. Socrates employed the Socratic method in order to find the truths of life, thus, by using the Socratic method for other means (like pure humiliation of an adversary) is illegitimate and a self-defeating process to the method. In conclusion, the true benefit of the Socratic method is to be able to not only enlighten your opponent, but also yourself.