Drawing distinctions in the Laches : the Elenchus as search

Abstract

The Socratic Method is a dialectical method, conducted in a questionand- answer format, by which Socrates’ dialectical partner is usually led to a realization of a moral or intellectual failure or both. Such a model of the elenchus emphasizes Socrates’ role as questioner. One recent scholarly trend shifts focus onto the role of the interlocutor in the dialectical partnership. This paper falls within this tradition of scholarship on the Elenchus.

The following is a discussion about the role of ‘drawing distinctions’ in the progress and overall goal of the Elenchus in the Laches. This dialogue is marked by the prominence of the interlocutor’s role in the discussion viz. drawing distinctions to disarm Socrates’ refutations. Such dialectical skill is to be found pre-eminently in Nicias, the pupil of Damon and a frequent associate of Socrates, and Critias, the ‘sophist’. The usual interpretation given to these ‘episodes’ of drawing distinctions is well characterized by Laches’ own reaction to Nicias’ dialectical ‘tricks’ (La. 196a-b). Nicias is ‘shuffling’ in order to avoid a deserving refutation and disguising his ignorance with empty words. This interpretation is naturally implied by an overall negative function of elenchus conceived solely in terms of refutation. [excerpt]