Socratic questions
These questions are designed to help you open up your reflective writing. Once you
have written your essay go back over what you have written and ask yourself some of
these questions. This process will help you to unpack your thinking. The aim is for you
to analyse and understand what it is that you have learned, and how that learning will
help to inform any future action that you take.
Remember at all times; your reflective essay seeks to explore a given question.
Conceptual clarification questions
Think more about what exactly you are asking or thinking about. Prove the concepts
behind your argument. Basic 'tell me more' questions that get you to go deeper.
Why am I saying that?
What exactly does this mean?
How does this relate to what we have been talking about?
What is the nature of ...?
What do we already know about this?
Can I give an example?
Am I saying ... or ... ?
Can I rephrase that?
Probing assumptions
Probing of assumptions makes you think about the presuppositions and unquestioned
beliefs on which you are founding their argument. This is shaking the bedrock and
should really get you going!
What else could we assume?
I seem to be assuming... ?
How did I choose those assumptions?
Explain why/how ... ?
How can I verify or disprove that assumption?
What would happen if ... ?
Do I agree or disagree with ... ?
Probing rationale, reasons and evidence
When you give a rationale for your arguments, dig into that reasoning rather than
assuming it as a given. People often use un-thought-through or weakly understood
supports for their arguments.
Why is that happening?
How do I know this?
Can I give an example of that?
What do I think causes ... ?
What is the nature of this?
Are these reasons good enough?
Would it stand up in court?
How might it be refuted?
How can I be sure of what I am saying?
Why is ... happening?
Why? (keep asking it -- you'll never get past a few times)
What evidence is there to support what I am saying?
On what authority am I basing my argument?
Questioning viewpoints and perspectives
Most arguments are given from a particular position. So attack the position. Show that
there are other, equally valid, viewpoints.
Another way of looking at this is ..., does this seem reasonable?
What alternative ways of looking at this are there?
Why it is ... necessary?
Who benefits from this?
What is the difference between... and...?
Why is it better than ...?
What are the strengths and weaknesses of...?
How are ... and ... similar?
What would ... say about it?
What if you compared ... and ... ?
How could you look another way at this?
Probe implications and consequences
The argument that you give may have logical implications that can be forecast. Do
these make sense? Are they desirable?
Then what would happen?
What are the consequences of that assumption?
How could this be used to ... ?
What are the implications of .... ?
How does this affect .... ?
How does this fit with what we learned before?
Why is this important?
What is the best way to approach .... ? Why?
Questions about the question
And you can also get reflexive about the whole thing, turning the question in on itself.
Use your attack against yourself.
What was the point of asking that question?
Why do I think I asked this question?
What does that mean?