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How did Socrates use debate and argument to investigate ethical ideas?

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Marble bust of Aristotle with a beard and draped robe, showing detailed facial features and wavy hair, set against a dark background. — Applied logic Aristotle, marble portrait bust, Roman copy (2nd century bce) of a Greek original (c. 325 bce); in the Museo Nazionale Romano, Rome.

Socrates investigated ethical ideas through a form of logical argumentation known as the Socratic method, or elenchos (testing). Rather than acting as a teacher, he presented himself as an "ignorant inquirer," asking interlocutors to define concepts like piety, courage, or justice.12

His approach involved a specific pattern of debate:
* Cross-examination: Socrates asked a series of questions to expose contradictions in his partner's initial definitions.2
* Refutation: By leading the interlocutor to agree to premises that conflicted with their original claim, Socrates demonstrated that their understanding of the concept was inadequate.2
* Aporia: These dialogues often concluded in aporia—a state of puzzlement—which served to disabuse individuals of the false belief that they already understood complex ethical issues.21

Socrates believed that virtue is a form of knowledge and that the "unexamined life is not worth living". His method was fundamentally ethical, aiming to awaken others to the necessity of philosophical reflection and the recognition of one's own ignorance as the beginning of wisdom.231