I vote for pleonasm/pleonast.

First, it’s a really cool word which I plan to use often.

Second, I don’t understand the primary definition of maieutic.

Yuh, that’s where the points for Hoitiness come in, it took me a while as well. I hear the etymology involves “giving birth” and Socrates meant it as “having to do with the process of questions giving birth to ideas”.

I vote for this one. I don’t really find the meaning hard to grok, as I’ve experienced the effect many times. In fact, it’s one of the main reasons I like to argue online so much.

And they’re tied, folks!

If you read any of Sokrates’ dialogues, as written by Plato, the concept will become thoroughly demystified. Sokrates’ maieutic method is one of leading the witness, so to speak. I can recommend Plato’s Aristophanes’ fascinating and humerous account of the origin of love and the two sexes).

The work I meant to draw your attention to was in fact The Republic, and not so much The Statesman.

So does that constitute a tie-breaking vote for maieutic?

How else could I properly honor my European roots? ;o)