Socrates and the Sophists

Ideas and Methodology

Greek Education at the time of Socrates Education (two parts) 1. Curriculum (the ‘what’) 2. Methodology (the ‘how’) Curriculum for the Greeks in Athens Quadrivium : Arithmetic Geometry Astronomy Music

Trivium

: Grammar (language) Rhetoric (oral argument) Dialectic (logic) The Quadrivium and Trivium comprised the

Liberal Arts

Sophists: the ‘Wise Guys’ Protagoras: Relativist Gorgias: Skeptic Thrasymachus: Reductionist None are Athenian Context of Greece: 1.

Geography 2.Political Organization

These Sophists consider themselves Well-traveled , Broadminded , aware of Diversity They notice: 1. Laws differ in different City-States 2. Customs differ 3. Mores differ Question: Is truth knowable or is everything only convention and therefore arbitrary?

The Sophists: 1. Protagoras - “Truth varies from person to person, place to place, time to time.” Relativism : There is no absolute truth.

(The natural consequence of the thinking of Heraclitus – ‘can’t step in the same….’) “

De gustibus non est disputandum”

(In matters of taste, there can be no dispute) For the relativist, everything is a matter of taste.

The initial Relativistic statement is self contradictory.

Weakness of Relativism becomes Apparent in ethical situations.

Leads to tyranny of the individual

Gorgias The natural consequence of relativism Is Skepticism (Both are epistemological positions) Skepticism : “Truth is unknowable” (Also self-contradictory and inconsistently applied)

A society that is heavily influenced by Relativism and Skepticism will be chaotic: Every individual is the master of their own ship, so there is no coherent Society.

Leads to the teaching of Thrasymachus: Reductionism ….”Might makes Right” The one with the most power decides what is true/false, right/wrong.

Reductionism incorporates the beauty of Simplicity……The problem is it sidesteps the Richness of Reality.

Everything is NOT one thing.

Reductionism is Simplistic Reduces chaos through literal tyranny.

Nietzsche/Stalin/Hitler

The Sophists act/teach out of a point of view (Climate of Opinion) Educational expectations of the Athenians: 1. Teach for financial/social/political success 2. All success is measured in worldly terms 3. Most important subject is Rhetoric (Persuasive Speech) Note: Truth is not an issue for the Sophists

Success in Rhetoric is measured in how persuasive you are……not whether you’re leading the listener to the truth or not.

Education for a used-car salesman!

Religion becomes Religiosity (Outward appearance is most important; actual belief in the truth of the religion is not even a consideration.

The gods: manipulatable devices for propping up the status quo or explaining desired changes

Anthropology of the Sophists 1. Earthly life is all there is.

2. The senses are the only means for knowing (engaging) reality – Empiricism 3. Education is for developing cleverness in this world 4. Man is just an evolved animal: more clever than the others

Sophistic elements in U.S. thinking: Pragmatism: Peirce, James, Dewey (Ivy League) No religious connections Teach for secular success What is the ‘cash value’ of an idea?

Common Core Disintegration of Catholic Colleges

Socrates’ Argument There is truth and it is knowable and we have an obligation to respond to it.

Context for Socrates in Athens: 470 BC Peak of Athenian culture and power Aeschylus Euripedes Sophokles Pericles Parthenon/Phidias/Elgin Marbles

399 BC He is offered exile or hemlock He dies at age 71 So what happened?

He has to answer the Sophists 1. All ideas are known through others 2. Socratic Methodology disciplined conversation

Socrates’ Task: 1. Overcome relativism, skepticism, reductionism 2. Find an immovable foundation on which to base all knowledge (Sophists don’t have this or want it).

3. Explicate a true anthropology.

4. Provide an effective methodology.

1.

Socrates’ Anthropology : Man has an interior life where a unique activity takes place. Knowing leads to Doing . (Epistemology leads to Ethics) 2. Man has a soul: psyche (A capacity for intelligence/character) 3. One’s greatest concern is care of the soul accomplished through proper behavior in accordance with TRUE moral values.

4. His anthropology is demonstrated and revealed through his methodology: Socratic Dialogue reveals a man to be what he actually is.

Sure and reliable knowledge is gained through disciplined conversation (intellectual midwifery)

1. State the obvious aspects of a problem 2. Clarify the problem through dialogue 3. Come to a clearer statement 4. Not game playing. Not a win or loss situation Looking for Clear and Fixed concepts: definitions (what is ESSENTIAL Search for permanent meaning ) Essence is described by definition Particulars vary/Essence remains

Essence words are capitalized: Justice, Wisdom, Beauty, etc.

Particulars pass away – essence remains No particular exhausts an essence i.e no single rose is the essence of Beauty 1. The rose dies 2. The rose changes 3. The rose may be scentless/not your favorite color BEAUTY REMAINS

4. True Knowledge is NOT an inspection of facts.

Knowledge: the power of the mind to discover in particular facts the ABIDING ELEMENTS.

(Inductive Reasoning) 5. The problem with the Sophists – They never go beyond the facts (particulars) Cultures do differ, laws differ, but Justice, Law, Goodness still abide

The Sophists do not use Inductive Reasoning properly…they emphasize Deduction or Analysis i.e. They have no concept of seeing the forest, because they are too close to the trees.

Socrates has a TELEOLOGICAL conception of things – that is, things have a purpose or function.

Examples: Stapler, fork, knife, spoon, horse, MAN For Socrates: MAN has a definable nature with appropriate activities A. Man IS RATIONAL B. ACTING RATIONALLY is appro. to man C. Man OUGHT to act RATIONALLY OUGHT is an IMPERATIVE!!!!

Moral Thought of Socrates 1. Knowledge and Virtue are the same thing – “To know the good is to do the good.” 2. The opposite of Virtue is Vice (lack of knowledge: Ignorance) 3. No one ever committed an act of evil knowingly. Wrongdoing results from ignorance.

4. People commit evil acts thinking that they will do some good.

Man is Rational Has a desire for happiness This happiness is achieved through proper modes of behavior Man confuses appearance with reality.

Thief: confuses money/things w/happiness.

Ignorance , then, is a lack of knowledge of what brings true happiness (long term happiness) Wrongdoing is an inaccurate estimate of the proper modes of behavior, which results in unhappiness.

No one ever deliberately chooses to damage his human nature in any way.

The fundamental nature of man is constant. Socrates was tolerated while Athens was On top. His defense is in Plato’s Apology

Milesians: What constitutes physical Nature?

Eleatics: Changeless, single reality Appearance/Reality Opinion/Truth Pythagoreans: Multiplicity of things Rational Universe Forms Sophists/Socrates: Epistemology/Ethics

Plato will cover the whole range of issues initiated by his philosophical predecessors.

Discussion Questions: 1. Explain Socratic Methodology.

2. Compare/contrast the Sophists with Socrates 3. Write a Socratic Dialogue.