Embedded Files
Background
Background
When people think of a philosopher, they often think of Socrates. He is so important, that all the Greek philosophers we have so far learned about are called the pre-socratics. However, even though he is so famous, we don’t know a lot about him.
We know he was born in Athens in c. 470 BC and died in c. 399 BC. We know that he had been a soldier, that he was quite ugly and dishevelled and not very rich. And we don’t know anything directly about his ideas, because he didn’t write anything down. Everything we know about Socrates is from the writings of other people.
Method: The Socratic Method/Method of Elenchus
Method: The Socratic Method/Method of Elenchus
The Socratic method was a method of interrogation where Socrates asked someone for a theory or definition of something, and Socrates would show that the theory led to contradictions, often by offering counter-examples - i.e. examples that fitted the theory, but were clearly not examples of the thing the theory was meant to explain.
Socrates on Beauty: from Symposium by Xenophon
Socrates on Beauty: from Symposium by Xenophon
The following is a slightly simplified version of a conversation in a book called Symposium by a friend of Socrates named Xenophon.
Critobulus challenged Socrates to a ‘beauty contest’. Each man had to convince a pretend jury that he was better looking than the other:
Socrates: Firstly, can you please answer a few questions… Do you think that anything can be beautiful, or can only human beings be beautiful?
Critobulus: In my opinion, anything can be beautiful: a horse, an ox, a shield, a sword, or a spear.
Socrates: How can all of these things be beautiful, if they are all completely different?
Critobulus: Well, if they do their jobs well, then they are beautiful.
Socrates: OK, so why do we need eyes?
Critobulus: Obviously to see with.
Socrates: In which case my eyes are much better than yours!
Critobulus: How so?
Socrates: Because your eyes can only see straight ahead, but mine bulge out of my head and can see to the sides.
Critobulus: So you think that a crab is better at seeing than other creatures?
Socrates: Absolutely…
Critobulus: OK, I’ll let that go. Who has the more beautiful nose then, you or me?
Socrates: Well, the purpose of noses is to smell. Your nostrils look down to the ground, but mine are wide open and turned outward so I can catch smells from everywhere.
Critobulus: But your snub nose can’t be more beautiful than my straight nose!
Socrates: My tiny nose does not get in the way of my eyes, but your nose does.
Critobulus: As for the mouth, I will let you win on that. Since the purpose of a mouth is to bite off food, your mouth could bite off much more than mine.
Socrates: According to your argument, I am proud to say I have the mouth of a donkey!
Critobulus: I can’t argue with you anymore, let’s have the vote!
Tasks
Tasks
What was Critobulus’ theory about beauty?
How did Socrates disprove it?
Explain the Socratic method (the method of Elenchus).
What do you think is the point of the Socratic method? What is it trying to achieve and why?
Come up with a theory of fairness (what is fairness), and then come up with a counterexample to disprove it.
Page updated
Report abuse