Final answer:
The dialogue known as the Socratic method is a form of cooperative argumentative discussion aimed at uncovering truth through critical thinking and scrutinizing underlying presumptions via methodical questioning.
Step-by-step explanation:
A question-and-answer dialogue in which propositions are methodically scrutinized to uncover the truth is known as the Socratic method. This method, named after the Greek philosopher Socrates, involves a form of cooperative argumentative dialogue between individuals. The approach is characterized by one individual asking a series of probing questions, while another answers. The goal is to stimulate critical thinking and to illuminate ideas and underlying presumptions. It is often intended to help a person or group discover their beliefs about a topic, encourage exploration of definitions, and seek to characterize traits shared by particular instances
The Socratic method is a method of hypothesis elimination through dialectic inquiry, where contradictions found in the answers to questions can lead to the rejection of faulty propositions and the refinement of hypotheses. Rather than presenting information directly, Socrates engaged participants in a conversational pattern, using this method to guide them through self-discovery of truth. Unlike sophists who employed rhetoric for persuasion, Socratic questioning sought to engage reason to arrive at stable truths about subjects such as justice, truth, and ethics.