🔭 Alex is Learning (To Think)

Second round of learning from Ward Farnworth's book on the Socratic method

Jul 16, 20252 min read

What should I do?

Lazy but slow way → make flashcards from every chapter, in order

  • The benefit of this approach is that you don’t have to use your brain much, lol
  • But it’s not a very targeted/efficient/prioritised way to learn, e.g. identifying the top 3 chapters to get a deeper understanding of first, vs “I guess I’ll make flashcards from all 200 pages”

Identify specific chapters

Here are the chapters:

  1. The Socratic Problem
  2. Method vs. Doctrine
  3. Elements of the Method
  4. The Socratic Function
  5. Question and Answer
  6. The Elenchus
  7. Consistency
  8. Systole and Diastole
  9. Analogies
  10. Socratic Rules for Dialogue
  11. Ignorance
  12. Aporia
  13. Socratic Goods
  14. Socratic Ethics
  15. Socrates and the Stoics
  16. Socrates and the Skeptics
  17. Finding Principles
  18. Testing Principles
  19. EPILOGUE: Socratic Rules of Engagement

Here’s my reorganised version

1. Meta → the “why”, the profundity

  1. The Socratic Problem (ch.1)
  2. Method vs. Doctrine (ch.2)
  3. Socrates and the Stoics (ch.15)
  4. Socrates and the Skeptics (ch.16)

2. The ontology (“Being” Socrates)

  1. The Socratic Function (ch.4)
  2. Question and Answer (ch.5)
  3. Consistency (ch.7)
  4. Socratic Rules for Dialogue (ch.10)
  5. Ignorance (ch.11)
  6. Aporia (ch.12)
  7. Socratic Goods (ch.13)
  8. Socratic Ethics (ch.14)
  9. Socratic Rules for Engagement (ch.19)

3. Particulars of the method

  1. Elements of the Method (ch.3)
  2. The Elenchus (ch.6)
  3. Systole and Diastole (ch.8)
  4. Analogies (ch.9)
  5. Finding Principles (ch.17)
  6. Testing Principles (ch.18)

Ok, so…

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