[3]
The method of argument
chiefly used by Socrates was of this nature: when
he had asked a number of questions to which his
adversary could only agree, he finally inferred the
conclusion of the problem under discussion from its
resemblance to the points already conceded. This
method is known as induction, and though it
cannot be used in a set speech, it is usual in a
speech to assume that which takes the form of a
question in dialogue.
Quintilian. With An English Translation. Harold Edgeworth Butler. Cambridge. Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann, Ltd. 1921.
The Annenberg CPB/Project provided support for entering this text.
This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 United States License.
An XML version of this text is available for download, with the additional restriction that you offer Perseus any modifications you make. Perseus provides credit for all accepted changes, storing new additions in a versioning system.