You hold beliefs you have never examined
They came with your upbringing and stayed.
Courses
Start with three things you can do today
How to ask questions like Socrates
Use the Socratic method on your own beliefs and in conversation.
A course on the oldest method of clear thinking. It covers what Socrates was actually doing, how to question a belief until you find what holds it up, and how to do it with other people without being unbearable.
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A starting goal
I want to think and ask questions the way Socrates did. Teach me the method, what it is for, and how to use it on my own beliefs and in conversations without being insufferable.
Change any word so it fits your situation. The course is built from what you type and a few setup questions.
Start today
Three things you can do before the course exists.
Useful on their own. The course is for when you want the whole skill, not just the first move.
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Turn a broad belief into a clear claim
Try our example: "A good colleague always agrees with the team." Ask, "Does agrees mean supporting a decision, or never raising a concern?" Write down the meaning you will examine. This modern practice example is not a quotation from Socrates; it starts with the clarification of terms found in Plato's dialogues.
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Test the claim with one counterexample
Ask, "If a colleague notices that a number in our report is wrong, would agreeing still make them a good colleague?" Check whether the case fits the definition from your first answer. If it does, the word always needs reconsidering. A counterexample challenges a general claim; it does not prove that the opposite claim is always true.
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Revise the claim and name what remains open
Try: "A good colleague supports the team's goal and raises relevant concerns respectfully." Then ask, "What counts as relevant, and what evidence would change my view?" Apply the questions to your own belief first. With someone else, ask whether they want to explore it, listen to their answer and stop if the exchange becomes a cross-examination.
Sources: Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Socratic questioning and definition; Plato's Laches: a dialogue examining courage. Practical examples are starting points, not promised results.
- Best for
- Philosophy
- Prerequisites
- None. Bring the situation you have.
- Course length
- 7 to 30 lessons
- Pace
- Yours. One lesson at a time, as often as you like.
- Format
- Read it, or play the audio
- Access
- Available on the App Store and Google Play, with an optional early testing list
Before the course is built
Setup asks about your situation first.
Lesson 1 opens on the moment you describe, and the examples use your role. For this request, expect questions like these.
- Do you want this for your own thinking, for teaching, or for conversations?
- Have you read any Plato, or only heard of the method?
- Is there a belief of yours you would like to examine?
Right for now
If any of this sounds familiar, start here.
Your questions feel like attacks
People get defensive when you probe.
You want to think more clearly
And suspect asking better questions is where it starts.
Course arc
Where the course goes, in order.
Cadence writes the lessons for you, so the exact path follows your answers. This is the ground a course built from this sentence covers.
01 / 06Who Socrates was
The man, the trial and the method, in plain terms.
What a definition hides
Asking what a word means until the confidence runs out.
Questioning yourself
Turning the method on a belief you hold.
The elenchus
Following an answer to its consequences and back.
With other people
Questioning that opens rather than corners.
Living with not knowing
What Socrates meant by wisdom, and why it is uncomfortable.
What changes
What you will be able to do, and what you will stop believing.
You will be able to
Understand the method
Know what Socratic questioning is for and how it works.
Examine your own beliefs
Question what you think until you find the foundations, or their absence.
Question others well
Use it in conversation with curiosity, not as a weapon.
Ideas this course corrects
The Socratic method is about winning debates
In Plato's dialogues, questions can expose tensions between a claim and other beliefs. For this exercise, the aim is to examine your reasoning, not defeat another person.
Questions alone establish the truth
Finding an inconsistency tells you that something needs revising. It does not by itself show which alternative is true; factual claims still need evidence.
Course questions
What to know before you start.
How to ask questions like Socrates: what can I do today?
Turn a broad belief into a clear claim. Try our example: "A good colleague always agrees with the team." Ask, "Does agrees mean supporting a decision, or never raising a concern?" Write down the meaning you will examine. This modern practice example is not a quotation from Socrates; it starts with the clarification of terms found in Plato's dialogues. Test the claim with one counterexample. Ask, "If a colleague notices that a number in our report is wrong, would agreeing still make them a good colleague?" Check whether the case fits the definition from your first answer. If it does, the word always needs reconsidering. A counterexample challenges a general claim; it does not prove that the opposite claim is always true. Revise the claim and name what remains open. Try: "A good colleague supports the team's goal and raises relevant concerns respectfully." Then ask, "What counts as relevant, and what evidence would change my view?" Apply the questions to your own belief first. With someone else, ask whether they want to explore it, listen to their answer and stop if the exchange becomes a cross-examination.
Is this a fixed course?
No. Cadence builds the course when you type the sentence and answer a few setup questions, so the lessons follow your situation. This page describes what a course built from this request covers. You see the whole path before Lesson 1.
Who is this course for?
A course on the oldest method of clear thinking. It covers what Socrates was actually doing, how to question a belief until you find what holds it up, and how to do it with other people without being unbearable. It sits under Philosophy in the Ideas & discovery part of the library.
Do I need any prior experience?
No. Setup asks what you already know and where you want to use it, and the course starts from there. Bring a real situation if you have one; the examples are built around it.
How long does it take?
Most courses run 7 to 30 lessons. The course length is sized to what you asked for. You set the pace: one lesson at a time, as often as you like. Lessons can be read or played as audio.
Does this course award a certificate or degree?
No. Cadence is for practical self-learning and does not award accredited degrees or professional certification.
Start today
Type it, answer a few questions, open Lesson 1.
A starting goal
I want to think and ask questions the way Socrates did. Teach me the method, what it is for, and how to use it on my own beliefs and in conversations without being insufferable.
Want new features first?