Euthyphro:
What is the setting, what is Socrates doing, what is Euthyphro doing, how is the setting significant for the argument of the dialogue?
The Porch of the King Archon: one of the judges responsible for overseeing religious law. They run into each other and are surprised to see each other. Socrates answers that he is being prosecuted by Meletus for inventing new gods and not recognizing thos
How does socrates respond to what Euthyphro is doing?
Socrates is very surprised by Euthyphro's willingness to prosecute his father on so questionable a charge, (his father left someone in a ditch who did an unjust action and when he came back he was dead) Socrates says that he needs to have a deep understan
How does Euthyphro respond when Socrates asks him to justify his action? Why is Socrates not satisfied with the kind of answers Euthyphro gives? What sort of answer does Socrates expect? Why?
Euthyphro claims that he is an expert in religious matters, Socrates suggests that perhaps Euthyphro could teach him about religious matters to help with his case, and asks him to instruct him as to whats holy and what's unholy. Euthyphro suggests that pr
What does Socrates do after hearing Euthyphro's answer? How does he question Euthyphro?
(This is the so-called "Socratic method." How does it work?)
Socrates wants a definition of holy rather than an example. He asks him to define holiness, since Euthyphro says that holiness is what is agreeable to the gods. Socrates first says that the gods often fight and the fights are not over facts. But according
What is Euthyphro's first definition of piety? How does Socrates object to this definition?
Euthyphro offers as his first definition of piety what he is doing now, that is, prosecuting his father for manslaughter. Socrates rejects this because it is not a definition; it is only an example or instance of piety. It does not provide the fundamental
How does Euthyphro revise his definition of piety to meet Socrates' objection? Why is Socrates
not satisfied with this new definition?
Piety is what is dear to the gods and impiety is that which is not dear to them. Socrates says it is not clear what makes anything dear to the gods, and what is dear to some of them ma not be dear to the others.
Euthyphro then insists that piety is that w
How does the dialogue end? Why does this raise questions about the purpose of Socrates'
philosophical method?
Socrates still insists that he does not know what piety is, and certainly Euthyphro has not revealed its true nature. The dialog closes without any final answer to the question with which the discussion started. Socrates urges Euthyphro to continue the se
THE APOLOGY: What is happening to Socrates in this dialogue? Who is Meletus?
Socrates is being prosecuted by Meletus for inventing new gods and not recognizing those that exist, therefore corrupting the youth. Miletus is a young citizen of Athens.
What did the oracle tell Socrates, and how does this relate to the way he practices philosophy?
Socrates the wisest of Greeks, socrates practices philosophy to expose false knowledge and to see if there is anyone out there wiser than him
How does Socrates respond to Meletus' charge that he has corrupted the youth? What assumptions does Socrates make in giving this response?
He cross examines him by asking what does have a good influence on the youth of athens. Meletus responds that the laws make people good. Meletus claims that socrates is harmful to all of athens including himself. Socrates claims that he cannot possibly be
Why doesn't Socrates participate in politics? How does this relate to his response to Meletus? In
what sense are Socrates' beliefs and actions at odds with those of Athenian democracy?
He believes in purity of the soul; this is the message he preaches to the youth of Athens, and unless such preaching corrupts them, he is innocent of the charges laid against him. He doesn't participate in politics because he prefers to interact with peop
How does the trial end, and how does Socrates respond to the verdict?
The verdict is that Socrate's is guilty and Meletus sentences him to death. Socrates responded with an alternative punishment by saying he should be rewarded- given free dining in the Prytaneum, where victorious athletes are feasted during the Olympic Gam
Crito: Why does Crito believe Socrates should escape from jail? (There are several arguments here.)
Crito would be accused of not having helped Socrates, and of valuing his money more than his friend's life, he will be deserting his sons before their upbringing and education has been completed, make socrates look guilty and make him look like he agrees
Why does Socrates reject Crito's arguments? Why does Socrates think his is the only argument
that matters?
Crito should ignore the opinions of others because the people of athens are not experts in justice. Socrates does not care simply about living, but living just, and dying in his honor is better than escaping and living an unjust lift
In what sense would it be wrong for Socrates to escape?
It would be wrong for socrates to leave prison with out first persuading the state to let him go bc he is then breaking his agreement to abide by the laws of the state, and is thus being dishonest and unjust. Socrates has no reason to break the Laws now:
What do you think the connection is, for Socrates, between obeying the law and practicing
philosophy as he does?
Obeying the law is just according to the people of athens and Socrates teaches that goodness, justice, institutions, and laws are of the highest value to civilized people.
Gorgias: What is the setting of this dialogue? Why is it different from the others?
It is a relaxed setting at a gathering rather than a market where people are there to discuss philosophy
Who is Gorgias? What does Socrates want to learn from him?
Gorgias is an orator, he wants to learn the art of oratory and what it is
Why is Socrates not satisfied with Gorgias' claim that oratory is persuasion?
He claims that many professions require persuasion such as teaching (their teacher must persuade them somehow through reason that the given information is knowledge) simply saying that other skills than oratory involve the practice of persuasion
How does Gorgias respond to Socrates' objections? What claims does Gorgias make about the connection between oratory and justice? How do these claims undermine Gorgias' own earlier claims about oratory?
He further explains his profession by saying that oratory is a persuasion that concerns itself with right and wrong. These claims undermine gorgeous earlier claims about oratory because he said that orators can be more convincing about an expert in their
Explain Socrates' claims that oratory is a mere knack, or a form of flattery. Why does he introduce the contrast between the pastry-maker and the doctor?
Socrates gets Gorgias to agree that oratory is more convincing in front of an ignorant audience than an expert, because mastery of persuasion makes him more convincing than just stating facts. Gorgias accepts this criticism and says that it is an advantag
Explain Polus' view that oratory is power. How is this different from what Gorgias had said?
Polus declares power to be something good for its possessor. This is different because gorgias says that oratory is persuasion.
For Polus, what sort of good is power, and what sort of good is justice? How does this affect
Polus' answer to Socrates' question about whether it is worse to do or to suffer injustice?
Polus says that many people who do wrong are happy... He states that sometimes ones injustices are sometimes beneficial to themselves. He thinks it is worse to suffer injustice.
Callicles enters the discussion after Polus' has argued that doing injustice is shameful. Why?
Callicles enters the discussion after polus' has argued that doing injustice is shameful because he believes that Socrates tricked Polus into saying what he wanted him to say and surrendering to shame.
Explain Callicles' view that justice is good only by law, and not by nature. How does this view
respond to Polus' claims about shame? How does this view challenge Socrates' views?
Calliles says that the only natural good is pleasure (there are goods by nature and goods by law) because goods by law is just a convention that people set up, but there's no true reason for it. This challenges socrates views because he believes in good i
Why are Callicles' views supposed to imply the view that the good is pleasure?
The only nature good is pleasure (also use word appetite). He believes in mastering one's own pleasures and appetites. Callicles says temperance is shameful, and choosing to maintain that happiness and power result from ridding one's desires of all restra
How does Socrates object to this view? Why is pleasure not really a good in the sense that
Callicles needs it to be? Why does Soc rates think it is wrong to identify pleasure and
goodness?
Nature of physical pleasure (food drink and sex): says this is all pleasurable when you need it, when you need it its painful (hunger/starvation is pain), Being in a state of discomfort is no fun, What makes a physical pleasure so good is the desire for i
What is the true good of the soul, for Socrates? Why is it analogous to health as the good of the
body?
Practicing philosophy, not going to assembly, but obeying laws, taking the consequence because what he's doing makes me happy His pleasure is internal pleasure for his soul, not so much physical, socrates thinks moderation is a good thing because you have
What is the connection between the kind of soul Socrates praises and justice?
a sound-minded, temperate person is by definition also just, pious and brave, and therefore completely good and happy
Why is it then better to suffer than to do injustice? Why did Socrates not really suffer when put
to death?
He says that after you die it is not the end, your soul and body separates, your soul is freed from body and it goes off in the world and the soul gets judged, Soul is being judged for your sins, whether you have a good soul or not. He did not suffer beca
Why does Socrates suggest that he could eventually be put to death? How does he explain this?
Socrates declares himself to be one of the few practitioners of philosophy and maintains that if he were to be tried in court, an evil man will prosecute him and he will quite likely receive a sentence of death.
Latour: Why does Latour think that Socrates and Callicles really agree? What do they agree on? What
is their "common enemy"?
In the end they agree bc they're both against/don't like the people of Athens, and both don't really like democracy, We can say this is true because they think democracy is a lawful good which is why they think its bad. Socrates thinks this because: they
What claims are Socrates and Callicles thus making about politics? Why does Latour disagree
with those claims? What does it mean to regard politics as a good?
Neither of them have respect for political persuasion, they both wanna turn to the truth. Socrates moral truth: justice, Calicles- natural truth: appetites.Wwhat we should listen to is the truth (scientific evidence) politics are people arguing with each
What is the point of Socrates philosophy given that he didn't reach answers?
o To get down to the meaning and nature of things
o To show interlocutors their ignorance
o To show audience their ignorance
o To learn something positive about the nature of virtues
o Because discussing these questions is good for its own sake (Plato in