Socratic Dialogue in the age of AI

What can Socrates teach us about artificial intelligence? In this episode, Svenia Busson sits down with Alexander Montag, a scholar of ancient Greek philosophy finishing his doctorate at Tulane University, and soon to teach at St. John's University in New York as well as to conduct research at the New School for Social Research. Together they explore the concept of Socratic dialogue.We unpack what Socratic dialogue actually means, drawing on some of Plato's most important texts, the Lysis (on friendship and the teacher-student relationship), the Theaetetus and its sequel the Sophist (on knowledge, truth, and the pretender to wisdom), and the Phaedrus (on the dangers of writing itself).Together, they ask: Is AI the new sophist — a convincing pretender to wisdom that can mimic the form of dialogue without ever truly seeking the truth?What does AI sycophancy do to our capacity to think?Can AI ever occupy the role of a teacher we admire and want to emulate?And what happens to philosophical education — and the sacred long-form essay — in a world where students have access to LLMs around the clock?We also dive into the question of teaching philosophy from an early age, the value of interdisciplinary thinking over disciplinary silos, and what every technological revolution — from writing to agriculture to AI — forces us to confront: what does it mean to be human?A rich, timely, and genuinely Socratic conversation.References & Resources mentioned:Plato's Lysis — on friendship and the student-teacher relationshipPlato's Theaetetus and Sophist — on knowledge, truth, and the sophist as pretenderPlato's Phaedrus — on writing, memory, and dialogueTulane University — where our guest completed his doctorateSt. John's University, New York — where he will be teachingThe New School for Social Research — where he will be a visiting researcher