Socratic Dialogue

PHIL 109: Socratic Dialogue — Resources

Write a 9-page Socratic Dialogue (or a Dialogue with Confucius, using Socratic Method) applying critical thinking to a conspiracy theory

To prepare to compose a Socratic Dialogue on

how Socrates would approach a conspiracy theory, please read this article:

https://www.zocalopublicsquare.org/2020/06/07/fake-news-disinformation-propoganda-truth-rhetoric-twitter-president-trump-ancient-greek-philosophers-socrates-plato-truth/ideas/essay/

For more details on

how disinformation works, please read Christopher Paul and Miriam Matthews,

“The Russian ‘Firehose of Falsehood’ Propaganda Model:

Why It Might Work and Options to Counter It” (RAND Corporation, 2016): https://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/perspectives/PE100/PE198/RAND_PE198.pdf and also “The Cause of America’s Post-Truth Predicament”:

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-cause-of-americas-post-truth-predicament/

Additional Reference Materials:

Robert Arp, Steven Barbone, & Michael Bruce, Bad Arguments: 100 of the Most Important Fallacies in Western Philosophy (Wiley-Blackwell, 2018). ISBN 1119167906.

Katelyn Beaty, “QAnon: The alternative religion that’s coming to your church”, RNS (Aug 17, 2020): <https://religionnews.com/2020/08/17/qanon-the-alternative-religion-thats-coming-to-your-church/>.

Michael Bruce and Steven Barbone, Just the Arguments (Wiley-Blackwell, 2011).

<https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/twu/detail.action?docID=819315> Peter Kreeft, Socratic Logic, Edition 3.1 (St. Augustine’s Press, 2010).

See the section on fallacies: pages 68–122, especially 69–71. ISBN 9781587318085.

Stephan Lewandowsky, Gilles E. Gignac, and Klaus Oberauer, “The Role of Conspiracist Ideation and Worldviews in Predicting Rejection of Science”, PLOS ONE 8.10 (Oct 2013): 1-11.

<https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0075637&type=printable>.

Sander van der Linden, “What a Hoax”, Scientific American Mind (Sep-Oct 2013): 41-43.

<https://scholar.princeton.edu/sites/default/files/slinden/files/conspiracyvanderlinden.pdf>.

Melinda Wenner Moyer, “People Drawn to Conspiracy Theories Share a Cluster of Psychological Features”, Scientific American 320.3 (March 2019): 58-63.

<https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/people-drawn-to-conspiracy-theories-share-a-cluster-of-psychological-features/>.

Melinda Wenner Moyer, “A Wave of Resurgent Epidemics Has Hit the U.S.”, Scientific American 318.5 (May 2018): 44-57. <https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/a-wave-of-resurgent-epidemics-has-hit-the-u-s/>.

Christopher S. Morrissey, The Way of Logic (Nanjing Normal University Press, 2018).

ISBN 9787565135774. <https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07C5K7S9W>.

Plato, Euthyphro. Apology. Crito. Phaedo. Phaedrus. (Loeb Classical Library. 1913):

<https://ryanfb.github.io/loebolus-data/L036.pdf>.

Asha Rangappa and Jennifer Mercieca, “The Ancient Greeks’ Guide to Rejecting Propaganda And Disinformation”, Zocalo Public Square (June 7, 2020):

<https://www.zocalopublicsquare.org/2020/06/07/fake-news-disinformation-propoganda-truth-rhetoric-twitter-president-trump-ancient-greek-philosophers-socrates-plato-truth/ideas/essay/>.

Brett Salkeld, “Catholic Creationism as a Conspiracy Theory”, Church Life Journal (May 13, 2020): <https://churchlifejournal.nd.edu/articles/catholic-creationism-as-a-conspiracy-theory/>.

Richard Stengel, “Domestic Disinformation Is a Greater Menace Than Foreign Disinformation”, Time (June 26, 2020):

<https://time.com/5860215/domestic-disinformation-growing-menace-america/?amp=true>.

Socratic Dialogue Evaluation Page http://morec.com/socratic/

	Initial question arising from ordinary situation or conversation (Criterion B #2, p.346)
	Socrates as questioner, not as preacher (Criterion B #4, p.346; #3, p.347)
	Socratic irony (Criteria B ##5-6, p.346)
	Spiritual therapy and missionary work (Criteria B ##7-9, p.346)
	Definition of question (Criteria C ##1-2, pp.346-7)
	Socratic strategy (Criterion C #5, p.347)
	Dramatic interest, turning on a key point (Criteria C ##6-7, p.347)
	Conclusion, either by way of closure or intimations (Criterion C #9, p.347)
	Historical fidelity (Criterion C #10, p.347)
	Spiritual fidelity (Criterion A #4, p.345)
	TOTAL (out of 100)
	Letter GRADE
	Student Name:
	Additional comments on assignment:

Socratic Dialogue Instructions (Criteria on pages 344-347): http://morec.com/socratic/socrates.pdf

Dialogue sample (for document format): https://chinatxt.sitehost.iu.edu/Thought/Euthyphro.pdf

Example of a Socratic Dialogue: Plato’s Republic, Book I (see especially Discussion #3, pages 5-13): https://oregonstate.edu/instruct/phl201/modules/Philosophers/Plato/republic_book_one.pdf

Videos for learning more about Socrates: http://morec.com/socratic/