[For those unsure about this assignment, or who are more comfortable with a well-defined structure for the Socratic Discussion paper, here is a structure that at one time I required. I stopped requiring it around 2006 because it seemed to encourage some students to "go through the motions" without really knowing what they were doing or why they were doing it. If you use this structure, you must also do it in such a way that you understand why you are doing what you are doing.]
Pick a single virtue (V). A virtue is an internal personality characteristic, any such characteristic you find admirable for its own sake (not only for the good results it produces). Internal personality traits generally consist of attitudes, motivations, capacities, or states of mind that have become habitual for a given person. A given person's usual ways of reacting to situations are expressions of these personality traits. To make clear that you are discussing a personality trait, it is best to describe your virtue as "being a ..... person." (Not "courage" but "being a courageous person"; not "forgiveness" but "being a forgiving person.")
Rely only on your own perceptions and thoughts, do not worry about what others might consider admirable. Do not appeal to dictionaries or other authorities (philosophers, religious teachers, etc.)
Everything in your discussion needs to contribute to answering the following question:
"That kind of V which is admirable, what is the essence of what makes it admirable?" This essence would be a "Platonic Form," something only, always, and perfectly admirable. Invariably, any increase in this essence would mean an increase in the quality of V. All other things being OK, you could not have too much of this essence.
Make two tables of two columns each.
In the first table (1), list in the left column some words or phrases describing things that are not admirable that are the negative opposite of your virtue. What might go wrong with your life if you did not have V? What human failings or weaknesses show lack of V, or are the opposite of V? Use this to help you think of some positive words or phrases to describe admirable things connected with your virtue, contrasted with these negative opposites. Put these positive words or phrases in the right-hand column.
In the second table (2), list in the left-hand column words or phrases describing some things that resemble your virtue but are not admirable. Use this to help you think of some words or phrases that describe admirable characteristics of your virtue by contrast. Put these positive words or phrases in the right-hand column.
Taking "honesty" as an example:
Table 1
| 1A Negative opposites of honesty | 1B Positive characteristics of honesty defined by contrast |
| Deceiving others to manipulate them | Giving relevant information to help people make their own free choices. |
| [... continue this table listing some other phrases in this category] | [.... list some more positive characteristics contrasting with phrases in 1A] |
Table 2
| 2A Things that resemble honesty but are not admirable | 2B Positive characteristics of honesty defined by contrast |
| Malicious spreading of truthful gossip to make others dislike someone | Telling truths that promote better relationships between people. |
| [... continue this table listing some other phrases in this category. | [... list some more positive characteristics contrasting with phrases in 2A] |
You can also add other brainstormed associations with your virtue.
You need not be very careful or spend much time on this first part. Just generate a considerable number of ideas to be sifted through and reflected on in Sections Two and Three.
(A). Name some specific positive word or phrase (W) from Column 1B or 2B above that you want to test and refine.
(B). Ask "Can you have some kind of W without having admirable V?" Tell a story showing very clearly that you can have some kind of W without having admirable V. This uncovers an ambiguity in W.
(C). In response to this story, clarify and refine the meaning of this W. Ask and answer the question, "What kind of W is closely related to admirable V, and how is it related." This should remedy the ambiguity uncovered in (B).
Make sure to focus on clarifying W itself, in its relation to admirable V (rather than adding another concept in addition to W).
Devote at least 500 words to this section, doing this process with a minimum of three W.
In steps B and C, ask exactly the kinds of questions indicated. They are designed to help you avoid the most common mistakes in this kind of discussion.
For (B):
Stories for ( B) must be stories whose point is very clear to you. Avoid posing dilemmas, stories in which it is not clear what is admirable and what is not admirable, or stories in which you recognize there are good arguments for both sides. You know you have gone wrong if you begin discussing whether some given conduct is admirable or not.
Stories you tell might show either (1) that W possibly designates something not admirable, or (2) that W possibly designates another virtue, not necessarily connected to V. In either case, your task should be to clarify and refine the meaning of W so that it refers only to something only and always admirable (resolving problem (1)), and only and always something closely connected to admirable V (resolving problem (2)).
When a story shows that W does not always designate something admirable, or that it possibly designates some virtue different from V, do not reject W on this account. Proceed to C.
For (C):
Focus on clarifying and refining the meaning of W in its relation to admirable V. Do not give advice for what the person in the story should have done instead. Avoid simply introducing other words or concepts not related to W.
In clarifying and refining W, try to move inward, showing how W is related to invisible internal personality traits, consisting of habitual attitudes, capacities, or states of mind.
Remember the ultimate purpose, to answer the question: "That kind of V which is admirable, what is the essence of what makes it admirable?" Try to clarify W so that it contributes to answering this question.
Avoid the three most common mistakes: describing other virtues need in addition to W, giving advice for what a person should do, or describing what should not be present ("not hurting others," "without selfish concern," etc.)
This third section must end with some proposal clearly identified as a proposal about some admirable common unifying core around which all the other concepts you discuss can be unified. Your discussion must contain some clear proposals, supported by explanations, as to how other concepts are related to this common core.
You should have arrived at Section Three with a number of different concepts you associate with your virtue. But probably most of these words are still ambiguous with respect to V, because they could possibly refer to other virtues besides the one you are focusing on. Discuss issues necessary to boil these down to a single essence.
Imagine an archery target made up of concentric circles centering on a "bull's eye." The center will be the single essence you are looking for. This should be a single concept, though it might take many words to describe it. (E.g. A Possible Ending of a Long Discussion of Romantic Love proposes "deep personal meeting" as the single concept which is the essence, but it takes several paragraphs to explain the meaning of this single concept.)
Other concepts related to V but not its essence can be arranged around the outside of the circle, some will be closer to the center, some further away. Give some of your thoughts on this issue. For example, which concepts that you associate with V would you say are clearly not the essence. How far is each from the central concept which is the essence?
You could also discuss in more detail the specific relation which each of the concepts which are not the essence are related to some concept you think is the essence.
For example, I could say: I think "trust" is not the essence of Romantic Love, but one needs a certain kind of trust to cultivate "deep personal meeting," because increasing the quality of Romantic Love requires making oneself vulnerable to one's partner, and a certain degree of trust is necessary in order to make oneself vulnerable.
The above sentence speaks of the concepts "trust" and "vulnerability," which are not the essence of Love, describing in a specific way how the are related to my concept of "deep personal meeting" which I propose as the essence.
Your proposal about what is the essence should be as clear and specific as possible. One way of making it clear and specific is "defining by contrast," defining this essence by means of its negative opposite. For example my discussion of the essence of Romantic Love makes this essence more specific by saying that Romantic-Love relationships are the opposite of impersonal relationships.