The anti-pattern version of this reminds me of a phrase I can't seem to source, which is, "to question by assertion," which means making assertions with the int

The anti-pattern version of this reminds me of a phrase I can't seem to source, which is, "to question by assertion," which means making assertions with the intent that the listener respond by refuting them. It's a really fast technique to get information (I think I learned it from reporters, prosecutors, or perhaps just my mother), where you assert the contrapositive or a begged question about the thing you want to know, and use the churning brain of the listener parsing it through to yield their view. It's supremely irritating and emotionally abusive to anyone who trusts you, and viewed this way I can see how Socrates got himself whacked, but I'd wonder if this tactic has a name in another discipline. The only effective defense is to blow off the question, set a firm personal boundary where you don't feel obligated to answer any questions at all because they aren't sincere inquiries, and dismiss them as traps. If only Socrates were alive to have someone "well, actually..." him on the internet.