Socratism

9.9

A way of thinking that uses questions and conversation to find the truth

noun
/səˈkrætɪzəm/

Formal

: socratismo

Many educators incorporate elements of Socratism into their teaching methods to foster critical thinking.

Examples

In an age where everything is one species or another of Socratism or logocentrism, we cannot endure very much, if any at all.

Academic text (2001)
The essence of Socratism lies in the art of questioning deeply-held assumptions.
Socratism encourages individuals to engage in Socratism and critically examine their beliefs.

Surface Forms

Socratism singular

Socratisms plural

Morphology

Socratism = Socrates (transparent) = Socrat + ism

The term is transparently formed from the name of the philosopher (Socrates) plus the productive suffix '-ism' meaning a doctrine or movement, so learners who know the base and '-ism' can infer the meaning.

Etymology

Socratism comes from the name Socrates, a Greek teacher who asked people questions and talked with them to help them think. The ending -ism means 'belief or practice', so Socratism is the 'belief or practice' of using careful questions and talking with others to learn and test ideas.