Socratic irony
Playing dumb strategically
Socratic irony is the pose of ignorance adopted to draw out and expose the flaws in someone else's reasoning.
Named for Socrates, who would feign not knowing the answer while asking questions that led his interlocutors to contradict themselves: With Socratic irony, she asked the CEO to explain exactly how cutting staff would improve morale.
Logical argument through opposition
- feigned ignorancePretending not to know
- questioningSeeking answers through inquiry
- refutationDisproving a statement
- cross-examinationOpposing party questions witness
probing · midwifery · contradiction · interrogation · examination · clarification · counterargument · rebuttal
Pretending not to know
- disingenuousFeigning ignorance or innocence
- artificeClever deceptive strategy
- guileSly, strategic dishonesty
- dissemblingConcealing true motives
Greek philosopher, academy founder
- AristophanesAncient Greek comic dramatist
- wisdomGood judgment from experience
- ignoranceAbsence of knowledge
- self-awarenessInsight into one's psyche
intellectual humility · knowledge · virtue · ethics · examined life · philosopher · Symposium · Republic
Convincing through reasoning
- discourseFormal communication on subjects
- interlocutorOne who converses
- dialogueSpoken exchange between parties
- conversationExchange of spoken ideas
argumentation · debate · disputation · exchange · understatement · dissimulation · verbal sparring · engagement
Profession of instructing others
- mentorTrusted wisdom-giving advisor
- tutorIndividual instruction provider
- pupilLearner or eye opening
- discipleCommitted follower of teaching
seminar · tutorial · educator · critical thinking · student-centered · inquiry-based · learning · instruction
dialectic
Logical argument through opposition
- feigned ignorancePretending not to know
- questioningSeeking answers through inquiry
- refutationDisproving a statement
cross-examination · probing · midwifery · contradiction · interrogation · examination · clarification · counterargument · rebuttal · leading questions
feigned ignorance
Pretending not to know
- disingenuousFeigning ignorance or innocence
- artificeClever deceptive strategy
- guileSly, strategic dishonesty
dissembling · facade · false modesty · cunning · playing dumb
Plato
Greek philosopher, academy founder
- AristophanesAncient Greek comic dramatist
- wisdomGood judgment from experience
- ignoranceAbsence of knowledge
self-awareness · intellectual humility · knowledge · virtue · ethics · examined life · philosopher · Symposium · Republic · Xenophon
persuasion
Convincing through reasoning
- discourseFormal communication on subjects
- interlocutorOne who converses
- dialogueSpoken exchange between parties
conversation · argumentation · debate · disputation · exchange · understatement · dissimulation · verbal sparring · engagement · listener
teaching
Profession of instructing others
disciple · seminar · tutorial · educator · critical thinking · student-centered · inquiry-based · learning · instruction · facilitation
- literary devicesmetaphor, simile, hyperbole, personification, alliteration
- ancient philosophyPlato, Aristotle, Platonism, Epicureanism, Stoicism
- ironysarcasm, ironic twist, ironic tone
- Socratesexamined life, know thyself, daimon, gadfly, hemlock
- dialecticsdialectic, dialectics, thesis, antithesis, thesis-antithesis-synthesis
- irony typesironic twist
Socratic ironydogmatism
Unyielding adherence to doctrine
pontificating · pedantry · sophistry · mansplaining · intellectual humility
Socratic ironydidacticism
Art prioritizing instruction
lecturing · hectoring · monologue · preaching · declamation