Skepticism, Relativism, and Socratic Methods
Skepticism derives from the Greek word ‘skepsis’ (inquiry, review, doubt). Skepticism posits that absolute knowledge is unattainable. Similar to relativism, it encourages questioning radical viewpoints, while also acknowledging the possibility of acquiring knowledge in certain areas. For instance, one might be skeptical about religious matters (agnostic) while still believing in the possibility of knowledge about the physical world, as is common among many scientists. Skepticism was an accepted theory in pre-Socratic philosophy, but it also had its defenders. The Sophist movement leaned more towards relativism and skepticism than objectivism.
Relativism is a philosophical thesis asserting that truth is subjective and varies depending on the knower. Truth depends on factors such as physics, psychology, or culture, which influence people’s judgments about reality. The Sophists were the first philosophers to clearly defend relativist views. Protagoras graphically expressed the essence of relativism with the sentence: “Man is the measure of all things, of things that are, that they are, and of things that are not, that they are not.” Socrates and Plato considered the relativistic viewpoint inadmissible, both for its moral and political consequences and because, they argued, it is an absurd theory that makes knowledge impossible. All of Platonic philosophy can be understood as an attempt to overcome the radical and complete relativism of the Sophists.
Doctrine of the Conventional: According to this theory, the Sophists denied the existence of immutable, universal, and necessary moral, legal, and political laws. This position stems from the two previous features (Skepticism and Relativism) and asserts that moral, legal, and political standards in society are rooted in human agreement; that is, they are conventional, mutable, and individual, not supported by natural law.
Irony: The Socratic Method is also known as “Socratic irony.” Irony is the first of the techniques used by Socrates (a Greek philosopher) in his dialectical method. Socrates always begins his dialogues from a position of feigned ignorance, elevating the listener (in this case, the student) to the position of the wise person on the subject matter. As Socrates was considered the wisest man in Athens, the use of irony is understandable. The next step would be the maieutics dialogue, which aims to help the speaker discover what they know but are unaware of knowing. This involves the Socratic method of asking simple questions on the subject in which the subject (student) has been appointed as wise. Then, the answers that the speaker gave Socrates were refuted, especially with the aim that the student discovered that his “knowledge” was a set of pre-trial and was complete and accurate by itself becoming aware, at all possible, the real.
Maieutics: From the Greek ‘maieutiké’ (midwives’ art, the art of helping to procreate). The Socratic method of teaching is based on dialogue between teacher and pupil with the intent to arrive at the knowledge of the essence or universal features of things.
Intellectual Moralism: A moral theory stating that moral behavior is only possible if it is based on the knowledge of good and justice. All Greek philosophers advocated, to a greater or lesser extent, intellectual moralism, but Socrates is certainly the most prominent representative of this view.