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Socratic Method and Political Science

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  • MECKSTROTH, CHRISTOPHER

Abstract

This article advances a novel theoretical account of what a “method” is and what makes one “rigorous,” and shows how it could advance contemporary debates in political theory and empirical methodology. Plato's Socrates invented the notion of method, and his characteristic practice of immanent refutation through questioning escapes key problems in more familiar views. Socratic method is (1) antifoundational, (2) non-algorithmic, and (3) indirect and relative to competing hypotheses, and it (4) develops its own standards of objectivity from the logic of asking questions. The article reconstructs Socrates’ method from the Platonic texts and shows how it provides reasonable criteria for judgment while remaining critical, sensitive to difference, and open to innovation. Socratic method avoids a forced choice between universalism and particularism in political theory, and it provides a common language for evaluating both quantitative and qualitative methods by drawing out a critical logic of empirical inquiry shared by both.

Suggested Citation

  • Meckstroth, Christopher, 2012. "Socratic Method and Political Science," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 106(3), pages 644-660, August.
  • Handle: RePEc:cup:apsrev:v:106:y:2012:i:03:p:644-660_00
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    Cited by:

    1. Susan Baker & Michael W. Bruford & Sara MacBride-Stewart & Alice Essam & Poppy Nicol & Angelina Sanderson Bellamy, 2022. "COVID-19: Understanding Novel Pathogens in Coupled Social–Ecological Systems," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(18), pages 1-15, September.
    2. Serena Giusti, 2020. "The European Union Global Strategy and the EU's Maieutic Role," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 58(6), pages 1452-1468, November.

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