The 6 Types of Socratic Questions

1. Clarifying Thinking and Understanding

Get them to think more about what exactly they are asking or thinking about. Prove the concepts behind their answer or argument. Use basic "tell me more" questions to get deeper.

• "Can you give me an example?"
• "Can you explain further?"
• "Are you saying..."
• "What is the problem you are trying to solve?"

2. Challenging Assumptions

• "Is that always the case?"
• "Are you assuming...?"
• "How can you verify or disprove that?"
• "What would happen if?"

3. Examine Evidence & Rationale

• "Why do you say that?"
• "How do you know?"
• "Why?"
• "What evidence is there that supports..."

4. Considering Alternative Perspectives

• "Are there any alternatives?"
• "What is the other side of the argument?"
• "What makes your viewpoint better?"
• "Who would be affected and what would they think?"

5. Considering Implications and Consequences

• "What are the implications/consequences of...?"
• "How does that affect....?"
• "What if you are wrong?"
• "What our experience tells us will happen?"

6. Meta Questions

• "Why do you think I ask that question?"
• "What does... mean?"
• "What is the point of the question?"
• "What else might I ask?"

References

• The 6 types of Socratic questions