First, it proceeds by question and answer. Some of the questions are open-ended, as when Socrates asks Laches to propose a definition. At other points Socrates asks whether his partners agree with what he has said. Regardless, the result isn’t a lecture and isn’t quite an argument, either. Socrates gets his partners to consent to every step he takes. (This book will generally refer to the person being questioned as a “partner” of whoever is asking the questions, because that is the best spirit in which to approach Socratic dialogue. The parties are doing something together.)
