Response: Dialogue Format in Philosophy

In response to Corey Sloane's post "On Love and Knowledge" (January 24, 2012):
In this post, Corey Sloane suggested that the dialogue format which Plato utilised in his writings is a less-than-perfect format for conveying this sort of information.  He proposed the possibility that a more straightforward, premise-premise-conclusion type format might be easier to understand.  While I understand his point, I still find myself in disagreement.  Plato's dialogues are wonderful examples of the dialectic method of instruction in action - a method which I think is one of the best ways of imparting information so that the student will actually understand it.  By presenting his theories (or the theories of Socrates) in this format, Plato brings the reader as close as possible under the circumstances to actually partaking in a philosophical discussion with his characters, and by extension himself.  As one character asks a question of another, the reader has a chance to contemplate that question and draw their own conclusions before going on to read the views Plato presents.  In a sense, Plato is instructing the reader by means of dialectic instruction (or, perhaps more appropriately in this context, the Socratic method).  This style of writing invites the reader to think independently about the subject matter, rather than simply attempting to absorb the views of the writer without first considering them and understanding the reasoning behind them.