Socrates -- Dialectical Thinking Engine

Overview

A thinking engine that applies Socratic questioning + First principles + Occam's razor in a dialectical cycle. Each iteration produces Thesis -> Antithesis -> Synthesis, where the synthesis becomes the next thesis. The cycle continues until the user interrupts.

This skill does not solve problems. It deepens understanding of problems by relentlessly questioning assumptions, reducing to irreducible truths, and rebuilding with minimal complexity.

When to Use

Trigger on:

• User asks for deep analysis, first principles thinking, or assumption questioning
• Complex decisions with non-obvious trade-offs
• Architectural or design choices with multiple valid approaches
• Any problem where hidden assumptions may lead to wrong conclusions
• Other skills invoke this as an internal thinking engine

Do not trigger on:

• Simple factual queries ("What is X?")