Rethink.

The Greek term for “sculpture” is andrias. It is related to aner, which is a “real man,” as opposed to a mere anthropos (human being; Socrates in Xenophon is never called aner). Andreia, also stemming from aner, is “courage,” but more literally “manliness.” A large part of the Republic concerns a proposed guardian class of …

Passages quoted below are from Steven Forde’s translation, found in The Roots of Political Philosophy: Ten Forgotten Socratic Dialogues, ed. Pangle. Ithaca: Cornell, 1987. The short dialogue at hand opens with something remarkable: Socrates asks questions directly, questions that even we – advanced as we think we are – may consider philosophic: Socrates: So what …

part I | II | III From the answers of a maiden, gold and a most honorable death the dialogue ventures into the topics of the fitting, the useful, and the pleasant. “The fitting,” though, was strictly speaking Hippias’ answer. He rooted it in a convention so strict, however, it could not help but be …

Part I | II | III Contrasting the lives Socrates and Hippias lead goes far in framing more difficult issues: Socrates: Hippias, the beautiful and wise, how long a time it’s been for us since you alighted at Athens! Hippias: Yes, for I’ve had no leisure, Socrates. For whenever Elis has to conduct some business …

The dialogue discussed below is found in The Roots of Political Philosophy, ed. Pangle (Ithaca: Cornell, 1987).  A discussion of the dialogue’s authenticity is in the introduction of that work. Part I | II | III Introduction The Greater Hippias can be placed with the Protagoras and Gorgias as dialogues concerned with the value of …

Benardete says Plato’s intellectual biography of Socrates is in three parts. In the Phaedo, Socrates describes his break with Anaxagoras; the inability to put body and soul together crippled his own thought (see Plutarch, “Life of Pericles” for a sketch of this). In the Symposium, Socrates details his encounter with Diotima and what he learned …

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 Outline of Plato’s Apology, continued At 35d, Socrates strongly implies that he is being prosecuted for impiety. He has done a great deal of arguing to make the corruption charge the primary one. Strauss notes the corruption charge is “incredible,” but it is otherwise …

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 Outline of Plato’s Apology, continued 28b-29b: Socrates’ second digression (the first was that of the Delphic oracle). This time he asks himself whether he is ashamed to die because of the life he lived. He compares himself to Achilles avenging Patroclus; Achilles was most …