The sophists’ detractors and Plato’s representation of Socrates
Abstract
In several dialogues Socrates criticizes negative comments made against a sophist or the sophists. I show that Socrates’ target really is the sophists’ detractor, not the sophists themselves. From these passages I draw two broader conclusions. First, Plato’s defence of Socrates’ memory sometimes relies on creating a parallel between sophists and Socrates, rather than distinguishing between them and him. Secondly, Socratic philosophical practice has a widely neglected feature: examining and correcting the criticism made by his interlocutors against others.
Citation
Long , A 2023 , ' The sophists’ detractors and Plato’s representation of Socrates ' , Apeiron , vol. 56 , no. 4 , pp. 769-783 . https://doi.org/10.1515/apeiron-2022-0107
Publication
Apeiron
Status
Peer reviewed
ISSN
0003-6390Type
Journal article
Collections
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