The Socratic technic

We certainly can’t know how Socrates(b.Ch. 469-399) interrogated his pupils and other, his lesson were in Athens agorà, in ancient Greek άγορά, this is square, he hasn’t written something, hence we haven’t document, except the testimonies that known him and followed his lessons, although he never considered him a master; but the read of the Republic of Plato(b.Ch. 427-347), a his pupil enables to us know the thecnic of Socrates; in the 6th book, or chapter, of the book of Republic, we can consider, although alone hypothesizing, what was the technic of Socrates for the questions that he given to his pupils, the actual title is: “The philosopher loves and makes in herself the major virtus”,  the dialogue is between Socrates and Adimantus, brother of Plato, and Socrates says: “After you can see if those men that we want be worthy of our needs they not must in their nature thi character.” And Adimantus asked: “About character do you are speaking?” and Socrates: “About the sincerity: they were aware that they never must enable to lie. They(the philosophers) must hate it for the love of truth”, and Adimantus: “It is probable” and Socrates: “Dear friend, it isn’t alone probable, but absolutely necessary that the man very inclined to love he love everything is similar to object of his love”, and Adimantus: “Its true”, and Socrates: “hence can you find something that is more similar to the knowledge than the truth?”, and Adimantus: “How could make it?”, and Socrates: “A same man can be philosopher and friend of lie, and Arimantus: “Absolutely no”, and Socrates: “Wherefore who aspires to knowledge, he must ouset he search the truth”, and Arimantus: “Absolutely”; this boring interlocution is necessary to explain the Socratic technic for to give the questions to his pupils; he given questions that were absolutely obvious, and the answers could be alone consent or not, but the question that he given to Arimantus are elementary, and the answers are likewise elementary, because obvious. But this book although has Socrates, inasmuch the rationality, has written from Plato, that is abstract: “Hence if every tension of man is toward to studies and the science, I would say that his pleasure is limited to soul instead the pleasures of body would be quitted…”, and Adimantus: “It is necessary”, and Socrates: “A person so is also tolerant and never attracted from the richness, because the motives that determined the run to easy money, are adapted more to other than to him”, I want consider that this imagine, very idealized, of philosopher is the same image that until the past century was canonic; the philosopher that has quitted the richness; but I think that Plato has took this image directly from the reality, Socratic reality, this is how Socrates lived, absolutely poor.

Alessandro Lusana