The rules in court and in a Socratic dialogue are similar in many ways. First, all questions have to be answered as long as they aren’t out of order. You can’t say “I’d rather not say.” Second, the witness in court is supposed to tell the truth, and that is a rule in Socratic inquiry, too: say what you think. (See chapter 10.) Third, the interrogator can ask leading questions—in other words, questions that imply their answers: “Isn’t it true that … ? Wouldn’t you agree that … ?” Leading questions leave no room for answers that evade. They force the witness to confront the point.
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