The 'Socratic method,' or elenchus, is conventionally understood to be a one-on-one interaction between Socrates and an individual interlocutor. Why, then, does Socrates conduct so many of his dialogues in public places, where they are prone to being witnessed or even interrupted? This essay brings attention to the unappreciated role of crowds in Socrates’ investigations. Through a close reading of the Gorgias, a dialogue in search of the true political oratory, I argue that Socrates deliberately involves his audience in his discussions with individuals, thereby rejecting the elenchus for a reinvented form of philosophical oratory better suited to address both the individual interlocutor as well as the group of which he is part. The Socratic project, so understood, is no longer the practice of philosophy removed from politics, but an ambitious philosophical oratory aimed at interacting more publically with the Athenian demos. See also Tae-Yeoun Keum, 'Why did Socrates conduct his dialogues before an audience?' forthcoming in History of Political Thought.
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