Of all the contributions made by Plato to Western philosophical thought, probably the area that received most of his attention lay in the realm of political philosophy. As a descendant of Solon on his mother’s side, and the Athenian king, Codrus, on his father’s side, young Aristocles breathed politics as part of his everyday life. Moreover, the defeat of Athens at the hands of the […]
The Sophist Quagmire
Before I start with the ideas of Socrates, I need to discuss the ideas of his primary opponents. As the power of Athens spread, and Athenian ideas flowed out while the wealth of imperial subjects flowed in (voluntarily or not), the ability engage in persuasion gained in importance. As something of a democracy, the ability to persuade Athenian juries and assemblies of the benefits of […]