Socratic Methods/prompts

If you would like to practice Socratic Methods, choose a question from this list to begin with, or chose any other unsettled question that you are interested in exploring.

The Nature of Virtue

What is virtue?
What is civility?
What is fidelity?
What is wisdom?
What is temperance?
What is courage?
What is justice?
What is fairness?
What is generosity?
Is generosity a virtue?
Why is generosity a virtue?
What is compassion?
What is mercy?
Is mercy a virtue?
Why is mercy a virtue?
What is gratitude?
What is humility?
Who is humble?
Is humility a weakness?
What is simplicity?
What is tolerance?
Is tolerance strength?
What is purity?
What is gentleness?
Is gentleness a virtue?
What is good faith?
What is truth?
Is telling a lie ever better than telling the truth?
What is humor?
What is love?
What is good?

The Nature of Aesthetics

What is beauty?
What is quality?
What is poetry?
What is passion?

The Nature of Truth

What is truth?
What is reality?
What is faith?
What is hope?
Is faith the same as hope?
What is epistemology?
What is science?
What are facts?
What can we know?
What can’t we know?
Is faith a reliable epistemology?
Is the scientific method a reliable epistemology?

Existential Concerns

What gives life meaning?
What matters?
How can I live wisely?
Who am I?
What should I do?
What is the most important thing I can do?
What is the ugliest truth about life?
What is the most beautiful truth about life?
What makes a life worth living?
What is the meaning of life?

Ethics and Morality

What is morality?
What is ethics?
What is the basis for morality?
How can I determine if I am acting ethically?
Does evil exist?
What is good?
Is legal justice the same as moral justice?
Would you rather be the king of hell or a citizen in paradise?

Also consider this list of moral issues.

Exploring Worldviews

The Wikiversity course Exploring Worldviews asks many questions that are useful as prompts. Most of the questions are in the lengthy assignment section of the course.