Our conception of philosophy is largely due to Plato’s dialogues, which provide a transfigured portrait of his teacher Socrates as the ideal philosopher. This determination of what it means to be a philosopher often occurs in the dialogues in terms of contrasts: the contrast between the philosopher and the poet; that between the philosopher and the sophists (sophistai). Plato’s reflection on the poets and the sophists share much in common, but this course will focus on the particular issues raised in his engagement with the latter.
Plato was concerned with sophists all his life, and thus one can see their presence in almost all his works in varying degrees. This course will begin with some fragments by the sophists, together with crucial passages from more difficult Platonic works, and then plunge right into five short- to medium-length dialogues in which Socrates directly confronts a contemporary sophist (or sophists) about certain topics. Our interpretation of the dialogues will be primarily guided by, but not limited to, the following questions: is language all-powerful? Is virtue teachable? What is the nature of convention or law (nomos)? Can one live the good life without practicing justice? Is pleasure the highest good?