Datasets:

sanjaypantdsd
/

socratic-method-conversations

license: mit
task_categories:
  - conversational
  - question-answering
language:
  - en
tags:
  - socratic-method
  - philosophy
  - education
  - critical-thinking
  - dialogue
size_categories:
  - 1K<n<10K
configs:
  - config_name: default
    data_files:
      - split: train
        path: train.jsonl
dataset_info:
  features:
    - name: messages
      list:
        - name: role
          dtype: string
        - name: content
          dtype: string
  splits:
    - name: train
      num_bytes: 2500000
      num_examples: 5000
  download_size: 2500000
  dataset_size: 2500000

Socratic Method Conversations Dataset

Overview

This dataset contains 5,000 question-answer pairs that demonstrate the Socratic method of teaching through guided questioning. The dataset has been carefully cleaned to remove all romantic and potentially inappropriate content, making it suitable for educational applications.

Dataset Description

The Socratic method is a form of inquiry and discussion between individuals, based on asking and answering questions to stimulate critical thinking and draw out ideas and underlying presuppositions. This dataset provides examples of how to apply this method in conversational AI.

Key Features

5,000 unique conversation pairs
Clean, educational content - no romantic or vulgar references
Proper Socratic structure - questions guide discovery rather than providing direct answers
150+ philosophical concepts covered across ethics, morality, personal development, and more
Multiple questioning techniques including definitional inquiry, experiential connection, and assumption examination

Dataset Structure

Each entry follows this format:

{
  "messages": [
    {
      "role": "user", 
      "content": "What is justice?"
    },
    {
      "role": "assistant", 
      "content": "When you think about justice, what comes to mind? Can you recall a time when you witnessed something you considered just or unjust? What made it feel that way to you?"
    }
  ]
}

Content Coverage

Philosophical Concepts (150+ unique concepts)

Ethics & Morality: justice, responsibility, integrity, honesty, dignity
Personal Development: wisdom, courage, perseverance, discipline, humility
Social Values: equality, community, cooperation, leadership, tolerance
Abstract Ideas: consciousness, identity, purpose, time, reality
Human Experience: growth, change, challenge, opportunity, creativity
Relationships: friendship, trust, respect, empathy, compassion
Knowledge & Learning: education, understanding, curiosity, awareness

Socratic Techniques Used

Definitional inquiry: "What comes to mind when you think about X?"
Experiential connection: "How do you recognize X in your daily life?"
Comparative analysis: "How do you distinguish X from similar concepts?"
Assumption examination: "What assumptions do people make about X?"
Consequence exploration: "What would happen if X were absent?"
Personal relevance: "How does X relate to your own values?"

Usage Applications

Educational Settings

Philosophy courses: Teaching Socratic dialogue techniques
Critical thinking programs: Developing analytical skills
Ethics education: Exploring moral and ethical concepts
Teacher training: Demonstrating inquiry-based learning

AI Training

Conversational AI: Teaching models to use Socratic questioning
Educational chatbots: Creating AI tutors that guide rather than tell
Critical thinking AI: Developing systems that promote deep reflection
Philosophical AI: Training models in philosophical inquiry methods

Quality Assurance

Content Standards

✅ No romantic content: All references removed and replaced
✅ No vulgar content: Clean, educational language throughout
✅ Age-appropriate: Suitable for all educational levels
✅ Culturally neutral: Concepts applicable across cultures

Educational Standards

✅ Proper Socratic structure: Questions guide discovery, not direct answers
✅ Critical thinking focus: Encourages analysis and reflection
✅ Conceptual depth: Covers fundamental philosophical and ethical concepts
✅ Engagement: Questions are thought-provoking and personally relevant

Dataset Statistics

Unique concepts: 150+
Question variations: 20 different patterns
Response templates: 15 different Socratic approaches
Average questions per response: 2.8
Concept coverage: Comprehensive across major philosophical domains
Duplicate rate: 0% (all entries unique)

Citation

If you use this dataset in your research or applications, please cite:

@dataset{socratic_method_conversations_2024,
  title={Socratic Method Conversations Dataset},
  author={Sanjay Pant},
  year={2024},
  publisher={Hugging Face},
  url={https://huggingface.co/datasets/sanjaypantdsd/socratic-method-conversations}
}

License

This dataset is released under the MIT License, making it freely available for both academic and commercial use.

Contact

For questions or feedback about this dataset, please open an issue in the repository or contact the author through Hugging Face.