We're glad to have you. Very few of us have any real training in philosophy; what we share is an interest in philosophy, an interest I'm glad to see you also share.

Welcome to the forums.

Thanks! I'm particularly interested in "rational discourse." Is there a place where this topic is being discussed?

In a way, rational discourse is discussed by example or practice, as it is the goal (hopefully) of every thread. Perhaps you might want to clarify the parameters of such a discussion (for example, theoretical positions , historical development, or practical usage) and begin a topic of your own. Even if there are other threads, this subject cannot be discussed often enough, and from differing perspectives.
Welcome to the Philforum!
Regards,
John

Thank you! I have always marvelled at the way Plato's dialogs (I've only read a few) present Socrates as a saint in this respect. And yet, what Socrates does, it seems to me, is not complicated--it just seems to require a willingness to really stop and reflect on what someone has said, take things one step at a time, and make dispassionate logical observations. That probably doesn't capture everything, and may even make it sound too easy, which of course it isn't. But I am deeply concerned, both in my private life as well as in my professional work, when I see that such discourse is so rare that it often seems just about non-existent. Especially when I think about how it really lies at the heart of what I would think of as genuine education and genuine civilization.

So if I were introduce it as a thread, I would ask, "What is it? How do you do it? Why should we do it? How can we get more of it going?"

In some ways philosophical training beats out the curiosity that led to philosophy in the first place so by no means does that limit your philosophical capabilities. Anyway, glad to have you aboard. Enjoy your stay!

Socrates perfectly illustrates some of the important aspects of philosophy. As Aristotle later writes, "Philosophy begins in wonder" (wonder, puzzlement, confusion); it was Socrates that continually challenged common conceptions or received opinions, and showed others that they had not thought through their positions.
As a person whose knowledge consisted in knowing that he did not know, he subjected these conceptions to the judgment of reason though rational discourse. Very often, the "Socratic Dialogues" never end with a final resolution of the problem (Socrates never wrote anything himself), but with the knowledge that it WAS a problem, and a rejection of suggested, but nevertheless crude and incorrect, definitions or theories.
His fearless questioning was seen by the powers that be in Athens as, ironically, an attempt to "corrupt the youth" when in fact he was bestowing upon them (and subsequent generations of the living) a precious gift, and (to borrow a trenchant phrase from Kant) awoke them from their dogmatic slumber.

Thank you to Theaetetus and jgweed for the warm welcome and comments!