This paper focuses on the educational method--the "elenchos"--of Plato's Socrates, arguing, against some prominent interpretations, that it is love, both "eros" and "philia", that is the key that links Socrates' philosophy with his education. This analysis, of course, raises some difficult questions regarding the relationship between teacher and student. The interpretation is contrasted with scholarly readings that emphasise the significance of Socrates' religion; and it is put into the context of problems of twenty-first century pedagogy. (Contains 6 notes.)