elenchus

listen to the pronunciation of elenchus
English - English
A technique of argument associated with Socrates wherein the arguer asks the interlocutor to agree with a series of premises and conclusions, ending with the arguer's intended point

The elenchus begins when an interlocutor makes some moral claim that Socrates wishes to examine. The argument then proceeds from premisses that express certain of the interlocutor’s other beliefs to a conclusion that contradicts the original moral claim under scrutiny.

{i} rebuttal or refutation which is based on logic
Same as Elench
elenchus

    Hyphenation

    e·len·chus

    Pronunciation

    Etymology

    [ i-'le[ng]-k&s ] (noun.) 1663. From Ancient Greek ἔλεγχος (elenkhos, “refutation, scrutiny”).
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