Republic

As we noticed quite early in our attempt to define what constitutes the dialogue in hand, or any Socratic dialogue, the method of argument adopted is very like that of a debate. It is symptomatic of a person engaged in systematic thought that he or she perceives that the point under discussion is so general that it would be useful to divide the point of the discussion into more manageable particulars, the better to arrive at logical conclusions about the point of the discussion. In formal discussions having to do with questions brought before legislative bodies of citizens, this method of seeking knowledge about particulars is known as dividing the question, or dividing the motion under debate. This is the method Socrates employs in his discussion of the cardinal virtues. In other words, Socrates' method of thinking, here and earlier, is to divide the discussion of the virtues generally and to seek to define each virtue singly. In so doing, Socrates employs a process of elimination: Having discovered and defined three of the four virtues, it follows logically that the fourth virtue is the one remaining.