The term comes from the latin word ironia, which means feigned ignorance. Socrates would pretend to be ignorant of the topic under discussion, to draw out the inherent nonsense in the arguments of his interlocutors. Socratic irony i use the phrase generically here, for even in the platonic dialogues characters other than socrates practice socratic irony and platos dramatic irony differ in their means. Each discussion focuses on helping students think critically about a concept or issue. Lets define socratic irony with examples from both drama and comedy to give you an idea of how it may be used in your own scripts. In this case the meaning that which is unsaid is often revealed by the context in which the words were uttered inst. Talisse t he notion of a socratic philosophy, as dis tinct from what is commonly known as platonism, has its origins in the work of gregory vlastos1 and continues today through the scholars he has influenced. Tile irony of socrates we are not exalted by the destruction of the great, we are reconciled to its destruction by the fact that truth is victorious, and we are exulted by its victory. Irony, says quintilian, is that figure of speech or trope in which something contrary to what is said is to be understood contrarium ei quoddicitur intelligendum est. This irony, which sees its beginning in socrates claim to complete ignorance, is present throughout platos dialogues. Socratic irony definition and meaning collins english. My focus is primarily on the aspects of irony that are directly valuable philosophically, although such a task also requires a discussion of its mere rhetorical forms. Socratic irony definition, pretended ignorance in discussion. This article pursues an antihermeneutic conception of socratic irony that troubles the borders between pedagogical authority and humility.
I knew it all along, and i told these people in advance that you would be unwilling to answer, that you. Sarcasm is the use of irony to mock or convey contempt. Part one is on socratic irony as exhibited by plato, xenophon, and aristophanes, with a closing section on hegel. Cicero supplied a simpler and more helpful explanation. While platos readers can interpret a passage as ironical. These new topics are drawn from a thesaurus curated from 21 source vocabularies, and are automatically matched with a brief description from wikipedia. Parody is a type of satire that doesnt really make a point. Socratic irony is so called because socrates adopted anothers point of view in order to reveal that persons weaknesses and eventually to ridicule him. You recall that my definition of irony is the savoring of contradictions in life and people.
Irony in the platonic dialogues stanford university. Why socrates mocks his interlocutors at crito 44b46a, crito urges socrates1 to flee athens before socrates is put to death. Towards redefining socratic irony 3 used to convey the meaning are incompatible. For the rest of this essay, then, socratic irony will refer to whatever verbal irony there is in the words of the character socrates in platos dialogues, understanding of. Sren kierkegaard, the concept of irony to specify the particular approach of this paper toward the.
Your pdf proof file has been enabled so that you can edit the proof. These are the words in which we formulate praise of our friends and contempt for our enemies, our longterm projects. The practice or act of asking someone a question in order to demonstrate his or her ignorance socratic. Socratic irony the classical quarterly cambridge core.
Ironically, playing dumb can sometimes be the best way to show how smart you are. The first part of my dissertation addresses kierkegaards own status as a socratic. As a figure, irony is an extended version of the trope. For instance, when socrates declares in the apology that he could not give up philosophy because of his duty to god, the athenians would not believe him and think he. Irony is often a tool used in satire, and is when you convey a meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite, typically for humorous or emphatic effect. A young man questions his sanity following a destructive existential dispute with himself. For instance, when socrates declares in the apology that he could not. The practice or act of asking someone a question in order to demonstrate his or her ignorance. Somewhat unexpectedly, the topic of irony is becoming a subsidiary thread in the hannibal blog. The latter remains a commonly used tool in a wide range of discussions, and is a type of pedagogy in which a series of questions are asked not only to draw individual answers, but to encourage. In the case of socratic irony, socrates might pretend to think his students wise or he might denigrate his own intelligence, as by pretending he. Against this, i argued in my article socratic irony as pretence. In a debate or argument, for example, two people may hold differing points of view about a particular subject. Socratic irony is a particular device often used in rhetoric in which one person pretends to be ignorant about an issue to lure the other person into explaining it.
In this talk i consider a body of my more recent work in order to isolate the shared approach that it takes to reading platonic dialogue, an approach which had. Socratic irony is a technique used in the socratic method of teaching. Something of the accustomed irony, which may perhaps be expected to sleep in the ear of. Socratic irony is the position that the inquisitor takes that he knows nothing while leading the questioning. The rest of the reading assignments for this course will be provided to you in class or made available for download from this website as pdf files. Irony is used when someone says something that conveys a message that contradicts the literal words. Socratic irony is the dissimulation of ignorance practised by socrates as a means of confuting an adversary. Socratic irony is conspicuous in the treatments of, for example, gregory vlastos, whose immediate concern is verbal irony, and alexander nehamas, whose interest is the irony of socrates situation and his attitude toward it. Quizlet flashcards, activities and games help you improve your grades. The confusion caused by the irony of socrates, who, if he is true to his character, cannot say anything of his own knowledge, is increased by the circumstance that in the theaetetus and some other dialogues he is occasionally playing both parts himself, and even charging his own arguments with unfairness. To viewdownload them, you will need adobe acrobat reader free download available here. Teaching and learning of mathematics tempus project. The apology or platonic defence of socrates is divided into three parts. Socrates then uses this irony to bring his interlocutors to a state in which all content has been emp.
In the case of socratic irony, socrates might pretend to think his students wise or he might denigrate his own intelligence by pretending he is ignorant or that he does not. In this section the following types of literary irony are discussed. Irony is the saying of one thing and meaning another. The oldest, and still the most powerful, teaching tactic for fostering critical thinking. As you read through these transcripts, keep in mind the critical thinking concepts and. Just asking a lot of questions does not automatically constitute a use of the socratic method. The last words of prophetic rebuke and exhortation. This fulllength study of platos dialogue phaedrus, now in paperback, is written in the belief that such concerted scrutiny of a single dialogue is an important part of the project of understanding plato so far as possible from the inside of gaining a feel for the mans philosophy. What is socratic irony in simple terms and its example. Meaning, pronunciation, translations and examples log in dictionary. Irony in literature literary irony, socratic irony.
Topics provide a way to find more content about a subject and do targeted searching on jstor. It started here, continued here and, im sure, will continue even more. Socratic irony, platos apology, and kierkegaards on the concept of irony. Profession of ignorance and of willingness to learn, used as a ploy to spur others to discover their own ignorance through their attempts to explain a. Ferrari university of california, berkeley abstract. For a modern argument that shares the view that irony and dialectic are closely related for socrates, but evaluates both positively. Socratic irony synonyms, socratic irony pronunciation, socratic irony translation, english dictionary definition of socratic irony. This type of irony is perfect for courtroom scenes but can applied in any sort of verbal confrontation.
In the case of socratic irony, socrates might pretend to think his students wise or he might denigrate his own intelligence, as by pretending he doesnt know the answer. It passes intact into dr johnsons dictionary mode of speech in which the meaning is contrary to the words 1755. Synonyms for socratic irony at with free online thesaurus, antonyms, and definitions. The short happy life of francis macomber by ernest hemingway it was now lunch time and they were all sitting under the double green fly of the dining tent pretending that nothing had happened.
Socratic irony, platos apology, and kierkegaards on the. In this essay i account for the term socratic irony and i explain its meaning. Pdf socratic method in the euthyphro can be fruitfully analysed as a. Developed from platos socratic dialogues, the socratic method of teaching is a studentcentered approach that challenges learners to develop their critical thinking skills and engage in analytic discussion. The three main types used in literature are dramatic, situational, and verbal, as mentioned above. Irony is a storytelling tool used to create a contrast between how things seem and how they really are beneath the surface. The socratic method also known as method of elenchus, elenctic method, or socratic debate, is a form of cooperative argumentative dialogue between individuals, based on asking and answering questions to stimulate critical thinking and to draw out ideas and underlying presuppositions. Irony is a communication technique employed when someone says something that conveys a message that contradicts the literal words. Aristotle defined irony as a dissembling toward the inner core of truth.
If you havent done so already, as a burgeoning classicist you will need to purchase a greekenglish dictionary. The socratic method can be used at any grade level and with all subject areas, and lessons can be adapted to. Socrates uses irony in a way that mocks and ridicules the interlocutor. The first part commences with an apology for his colloquial style. In this paper i argue that platos apology is the principal text on which kierke gaard relies in arguing for the idea that socrates is fundamentally an ironist. Learn more about this practice known as socratic irony in this lesson, where youll also get to see it in action. Thrasymachus says, by heracles, there it is, socratess accustomed eironeia. Irony, says quintilian, is that figure of speech or trope in which something contrary to what is said is to be understood contrarium ei quoddicitur intelligendum. When someone draws out the other person, asking questions as if one is ignorant about the subject matter, then starts grilling the ot. Through the course of this dissertation, the view that kierkegaard endorses a solitary self view will be shown to be onesided and at best. Irony refers to many ideasverbal irony, dramatic irony, situational irony, irony of fate, irony of satire, and socratic irony. Its a tricky way to get information out of someone that can be used against them later. Private irony and liberal hope all human beings carry about a set of words which they employ to justify their actions, their beliefs, and their lives. For vlastos, socratic irony is free from the intention to deceive.
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