Got five minutes? This piece walks you through making abstract words like “Good” and “Beauty” actually useful, so you can spend less time arguing and more time deciding what to do next.
Key terms in 30 seconds
Before we dive in, here are five keywords we’ll keep coming back to.
- value template — a short sentence for what “Good” or “Beauty” means in this situation.
- decision scope — the borders of the conversation: what’s included, what’s off the table, and by when.
- idea pattern — the shared “shape” in our heads that lets us judge different cases as the same thing.
- quality criteria — the few concrete features that separate “this passes” from “this needs work.”
- alignment loop — a quick cycle of “define → test with an example → adjust” that everyone can follow.
1. What’s really going on here
A lot of “philosophical” fights at work or home are really just fuzzy words colliding. One person says, “This isn’t good enough,” another says, “But it’s beautiful,” and a third just wants to finish before midnight. They’re using the same words, but their value templates and decision scopes are totally different.
The Socratic move is simple: pause and define the template before you fight. Instead of “Make a good feature,” you say, “For this release, Good means: stable, documented, and easy to roll back.” Instead of “Design something beautiful,” you say, “Today, Beauty means: readable on a phone and not overwhelming.” Once the template is on the table, people can disagree with it directly instead of throwing opinions around.
Plato’s “Ideas” sound mystical, but you already use idea patterns every day. You know what counts as a “cup,” even if it’s tiny, huge, or made of metal. In the same way, your team can write down its pattern for a “good report” or a “safe decision.” Add two or three quality criteria—for example, “one clear graph,” “source listed,” “action point at the end”—and reviews stop being about vibes and start being about fit.
Put together, this gives you a fast alignment loop: define a value template, test it on one real example, adjust the wording, and move on. You don’t need to say “Socrates” or “Plato” out loud. You just quietly borrow their structure to make everyday choices shorter and kinder.
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2. Quick checklist: Am I getting this right?
Use this as a five-point sanity check. If you can say “yes” to most of these, you’re on the right track.
- I’ve written a one-sentence value template for “Good” or “Beauty” in this specific discussion.
- Everyone in the conversation knows the decision scope: time frame, limits, and what we’re not deciding today.
- We agreed on at least two quality criteria that we can actually check (not just “looks nice” or “feels right”).
- We tested our template on one concrete example and adjusted the wording instead of blaming each other.
- We captured the final template somewhere visible (chat, doc, whiteboard) so we can reuse it next time.
3. Mini case: One short story
Mini case
A family is planning a weekend trip. The parents keep saying they want a “good” plan, the teenager wants “somewhere beautiful,” and the younger child just wants “fun.” After an hour of scrolling maps, nobody agrees and everyone is tired.
One parent pauses and asks, “Okay, what’s our value template for a good trip?” They write: “Good = safe travel, one activity each person enjoys, and back home before 8 p.m.” Then they define a simple Beauty template: “Beauty = at least one spot with a nice view we can photograph together.” With that written down, they test two options: a crowded theme park and a quiet lake town.
The lake town fits both templates better, so the decision feels fair, not random. The argument shrinks, and everyone can see why this choice wins, even if it wasn’t their first idea.
4. FAQ: Things people usually ask
Q. Do I have to say “Plato” and “Socrates” out loud for this to count?
A. Not at all. The point is the pattern, not the name-drop. If you’re defining value templates, checking examples, and adjusting your words together, you’re already doing the thing. You can save the names for when someone asks, “Where did you learn this trick?”
Q. What if people refuse to define what they mean by “Good” or “Beautiful”?
A. Treat it like any other practical question. Ask, “Can you give me one example of something that would clearly count, and one that clearly wouldn’t?” Often it’s easier for people to react to examples than to write a perfect sentence. From there, you can quietly turn their examples into a shared template: “So basically, you want X and want to avoid Y, right?”
Q. Won’t strict templates kill creativity and make everything look the same?
A. Good templates usually set a floor, not a ceiling. “Readable layout” might mean “consistent spacing and clear headings,” but colors, photos, and tone are still open. You can also mark some criteria as “must have” and others as “nice to have.” That way, creativity happens inside a safe frame instead of being blocked by endless, vague disagreement.
5. Wrap-up: What to take with you
If you only remember a few lines from this article, let it be these:
Abstract words don’t have to be fog. When you turn “Good,” “Beauty,” or “quality” into short value templates, add clear quality criteria, and keep your alignment loop short, debates shrink and decisions speed up. You’re not dodging depth; you’re making it usable.
Start small: one meeting, one family decision, one side project. Define what “good enough” means for this case, test it with an example, and adjust. Over time you’ll build a library of templates that make your future arguments shorter before they even start.
- Begin debates by writing a one-sentence value template and decision scope everyone can see.
- Use real examples to test and refine your words instead of trading vague opinions.
- Reuse good templates in new situations and watch how much faster you align next time.
