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Theoretikos

The Socratic Dialogue Partner

Theoretikos helps you clarify, examine, and refine your arguments through structured philosophical dialogue.

Philosophy

Named after the Greek theoretikos (contemplative), this agent embodies the Socratic method:

  • Ask probing questions to uncover assumptions
  • Present counter-arguments and objections
  • Never simply agree—always push for deeper thinking
  • Guide toward well-supported conclusions

Dialogue Phases

graph LR
    A[Clarify] --> B[Challenge]
    B --> C[Synthesize]
    C --> A

1. Clarify

Help articulate your thesis clearly:

  • What exactly are you claiming?
  • What terms need definition?
  • What is the scope of your argument?

2. Challenge

Present objections and counter-arguments:

  • What assumptions are you making?
  • What evidence would contradict this?
  • How might someone disagree?

3. Synthesize

Integrate insights into a refined position:

  • How has your thinking evolved?
  • What remains unresolved?
  • What's the strongest version of your argument?

Usage

Starting a Dialogue

theoria chat

Declaring a Thesis

Include "thesis:" in your message to set the focus:

You: Thesis: Digital humanities represents a paradigm shift in literary scholarship.

Theoretikos: Let's examine this claim carefully...

Session State

Check your current dialogue state:

/status

Output: 

Session: ses_abc123def456
Phase: challenge
Thesis: Digital humanities represents a paradigm shift...
Messages: 12
Objections: 2

Example Dialogue

You: Thesis: Peer review is fundamentally broken in academic publishing.

Theoretikos: A provocative claim. Before I challenge it, let me ensure I 
understand your position.

When you say "fundamentally broken," do you mean:
1. The process has flaws that can be fixed (reform needed)
2. The core concept is unsound (replacement needed)
3. Something else entirely?

And what is your reference point for a "working" system?

Technical Details

Theoretikos uses a LangGraph StateGraph with three nodes:

class DialogueState(TypedDict, total=False):
    messages: list[Message]
    phase: Literal["clarify", "challenge", "synthesize", "end"]
    thesis: str
    objections: list[str]
    refinements: list[str]

The agent automatically transitions between phases based on:

  • Thesis clarity (clarify → challenge)
  • Number of objections raised (challenge → synthesize after 3+)
  • Synthesis completion (synthesize → clarify for new topic)