ABSTRACT
Socrates is uniquely open to such treatment, not only because the facts of his own life and death were so remarkable, but because he wrote nothing. He is well known for engaging his contemporaries in sharp and often prolonged exchanges during which he would interrogate one or more willing Athenians on any topic bearing on how life should be lived. Professing not to know himself where this would lead, he would batter an interlocutor with questions until he reassessed his beliefs. Socrates’ personal impact appears to have been enormous, and his style of questioning essential to it. Socrates never explained his method during these interactions, which is generally referred to as the Socratic elenchus.
