Protagoras' Answer to How Virtue Can be Taught by a Story About the Creation of Animals by the Gods

Twenty years after Ancient Greece sentenced Socrates to death for his philosophical nature, his student Plato wrote a book of arguments, in hopes of returning philosophy to the forefront of Athens’ social and educational sphere and as a scathing reminder for those who forced Socrates to drink hemlock that the early philosopher influenced countless others before his death. Throughout his book, Republic, Plato casts himself as his deceased mentor, Socrates, on a search for the definition of justice. In order to discover the all-encompassing meaning of the essential concept, the philosopher— both the author and the persona he adopts as the protagonist— creates an extended analogy, comparing a person to a city. Within a city, three groups divide all citizens: producers, guardians, and rulers. Strict expectations separate each level from the other, as rulers preside over the two lower classes, guardians protect all of the citizens, and producers act as the city’s carpenters and other craftsmen. A producer cannot jump a level to become a guardian; the city allows no social mobility. After much discussion, Socrates defines justice as, “doing one’s own work and not meddling with what isn’t one’s own” (Plato, The Republic IV 433b) and that, “Meddling and exchange between these three classes… is the greatest harm

Aristotle seems to be primarily concerned to discover and refine the moral standards by which human beings should be governed. What laws are to be used to establish and maintain those standards depends on the good sense of the community and the prudence of its leaders, including its poets and other educators. In particular, his views on the connection between the well-being of the political community and that of the citizens who make it up, his belief that citizens must actively participate in politics if they are to be happy and virtuous, and his analysis of what causes and prevents revolution within political communities have been a source of inspiration for many contemporary

As a defender of civic virtue, the significance of obligation and authority of one’s representative government epitomizes the magnitude of respect that Socrates had for Athenian Jurisprudence, irrespective of the fact that he was prosecuted against. In the accounts of the Apology and Crito, there exists a plethora of evidence that demonstrate Socrates’s adherence of institutionalized authority. His loyalty of the Athenian State derives from his notion that the obligation to surrender to the law manifests a just society. One may ask, “how is it possible for a persecuted man to continue to profess allegiance to a polity that sought his trial and execution”? Though many would not have the capacity to sustain such integrity, Socrates had his reasons in

In The Republic, Socrates idealized the perfect city. One of the aspects that he deliberated on was the raising of children and family structure. The conclusion reached by Socrates is that no parent will know his own offspring or any child his parents (457 d). It was Socrate's belief that the best atmosphere would be created in a communal upbringing of the city's children. In the same sense, he believed that they should take every precaution to insure that no mother knows her own child (460 c). Not even the mother, the traditional child-rearer, would be permitted to know or have a say in the lives of her own children, but

Over the course of history there have been several attempts at defining what it means to be the ideal person, and by extension how to create an ideal society. In doing so, several characteristics are generally defined, some of which are courage, moderation and self control. The concept of courage has been fluid in its meaning but has been highly valued across ancient Greece. In this paper I will be observing two societies and the ideals that they hold for generating better people, as well as what values they would want to instil. One city is theoretical, and one real: Kallipolis, Socrates’ economic city, the city that would essentially be the opposite of Athens if it were established, and Sparta.

“Virtue can only flourish among equals.” - Mary Wollstonecraft. In Athens, all citizens were equal, therefore a strong community thrived. Starting in 500 BCE a new idea of citizenship was starting to form. This idea was used by Athens and Rome, and included giving citizens a balance between rights and responsibilities. This paved the way for modern day citizenship in our countries and many others. Athens had a better system of citizenship because they chose government offices by lottery, to keep a strong democracy they made sure no one had too much power, and citizens in all social classes could participate in government.

Secondly, a man named Socrates had a different way to think about what characteristics a virtuous man should hold. Socrates had

Throughout Apology of Socrates and Crito, Socrates represses his responsibilities as a physical father to his sons in order to pursue his duty as a father of philosophy. In Socrates’ defense speech, Socrates says that “I [Socrates] do have family, and sons too, men of Athens, three of them,” but while Socrates is supporting his argument of the gods’ will, he says that “for so many years now I [Socrates] have endured that the things of my family be uncared for”(Apo. 34d, 31b). He gains little to no monetary pay for his philosophy, which strains his ability to care for his family’s physical needs and, as a result, Socrates fails as a physical father. However, Plato depicts Socrates as a strong advocate for one to examine oneself “for I [Socrates] go around and do nothing but persuade you [Socrates’ followers]…..how your

Our world today puts huge amounts of emphasis on education, specifically in order to get a better job, make more money or take enjoyment in what we do. We see a similar importance placed on education in Socrates’ make believe city, as described in Plato’s Republic. However, Socrates has made it clear that this education is not for personal betterment or gain, but rather for the common good. Socrates has created his Republic with education of its citizens at the core. This education is put in place to serve many functions, such as development of preferred character traits for the warrior class, creation of equality between the sexes and as a means of indication as to what jobs would suit which

Prout was frustrated that Labrie “was cleared of felony sexual assault charges” because the jury supposed that he committed the act unknowingly (Hauser A13). Socrates would argue on behalf of Proust and would want the unjust man to suffer the proper consequences. In a dialogue with Polus, Socrates even claims that the wrongdoers “are completely wretched, yet even more wretched if they are not punished” (Plato 36). While the Platonic framework can support the frustration of both Proust and Socrates because the offender did not receive proper penalties, the victim’s openness about the crime embraces the True and encourages others to demand control of their bodies. Proust’s willingness to talk about sexual assault exposed “sexual conquest at St. Paul’s” (Hauser A13). Socrates believed that every question should have an answer and the truth should be acknowledged; similarly, Proust hopes to uncover the secrets of sexual violence at her school and prevent injustice from happening. Both cases reflect the importance of rightful punishment and accepting the True for the Good of

Socrates knew that regardless of what he said, he was going to be put to death; it was more important for him to spread his message than to save his life. As for Deresiewicz, it can be argued that he emphasizes the pressure students put on themselves, but rather, he does the opposite. In actuality, Excellent Sheep illuminates the pressure put on elite students by their parents, peers, society. Despite being arguable across different generations, overall I found Deresiewicz’s argument to be more outwardly complete and compelling than that of Socrates because of the relevance it holds to my own life. By explaining my own interpretations of the textual evidence provided by both authors, I will argue that both Socrates and William Deresiewicz place more emphasis on the private dimension of human flourishing by means of

The central theme of one of Plato’s Five Dialogues, Meno, is to find an answer to the question, “can virtue be taught?” Before answering this question for Meno, Socrates first wants to define virtue because he does not know how one can decide if something can be taught, when one does not technically know what that thing is. Throughout their discussion, they decide on various definitions of virtue, but never decide on one that actually makes sense. The dialogue concludes with Socrates revealing that he believes that virtue cannot be taught because it is not knowledge. Therefore, it is a gift from the gods.

“individuation,” of reflection on the connection between social order and social demands and the aims of individuals. It prompted reflection about the means of reconciling the conflict between private and public avenues. Participation in the politics of democratic Greece was an extenuation of the menial status of the people. This held true because the polis expressed not merely the material interests of those who ruled and were ruled, but also their freedom and their nobility. The realization of one’s purposes within the polis demanded that one be an active citizen. Man’s awareness and understanding of himself as an agent is shaped through interaction with the world. Membership of the political community was not merely essential for survival, but also greatly extended the range of ends of which it was possible to pursue. A self-governing community enabled men to act to secure the ends they desired, to express their autonomy, and by its very operation ensured that the

Socrates’ sense of virtue, as established in Plato’s Apology of Socrates, Crito, and Symposium collectively, revolves around the pursuit of wisdom, knowledge, and justice, all in an effort to benefit the soul rather than the physical body. Given that this oftentimes contradicts standard values of honor and beauty, Socrates is targeted by many of those around him who oppose his ideas and ways of thinking, especially since the youth begin to criticize the elders’ concern for the trappings of honor and beauty rather than for interior virtues. Unlike Socrates’ case, Aeneas’ sense of virtue complies with the standard societal definition, emphasizing pietas, or respect for the gods and dedication to family and community. In his efforts to

Virtues contribute to people’s actions in today’s society. Society as a whole has a common set of virtues that many people agree on. In today’s society, these are known as laws. Virtues also mold the individual outlook on life, and give them the moral’s to do what is right. In The Republic, Plato divides the city into three classes: gold, silver, as well as bronze and iron souls. Each class is designated to posses a specific virtue. He believes that wisdom, courage, moderation, and justice combine together to form The Republic. However, Plato’s four virtues individually do not necessarily produce a utopian society. A combination of the four in each citizen is imperative in producing the ideal society. In Plato’s search for the