1. Socrates aseducatorReview of Socratess lifeSome of his educationaldialoguesApproaching the Laches

2. Life of Socrates 469BC Born Athens Sculptor and soldier (fought atSamos 440, Potideia 432, Delium424, Amphibolis 422) 421. Consulted oracle at Delphithereafter educational work Complained about the Athenianpursuance of war with Sparta 404, 30 tyrants took charge 399 Arraigned on charges ofcorrupting the youngDr F.Long, Education UCC 2 3. 3Temple at Delphi Cultof Apollo Knowthyself All things in measure Socrates Wisdom is knowing who one is and where one is in the world Dr F.Long, Education UCC 4. 4Protagoras 490-420BCE versus Socrates 469-399 see http://www.iep.utm.edu/p/ Socrates protagor.htm paid teacher/educator non-paid the art of speech teaches the An art does not necessarily do bearer to be goodthe person any good. The art ofeducation claims to do the The interior is visible in the learner some good performance Doing someone good is Concentrates on theprimarily a moral action perfection of the technique Socrates concentrates primarilyon the interior effect of the of speechtechne of speech on the soul ofspeaker and listenerDr F.Long, Education 5. 5Socrates 2 Principles Interiority: the important learning occurs on the inside Discipline: the disciplined path to learning 4 steps in Socratic method (Dialectics) Elenchus: "argument of disproof or refutation; cross-examining,testing, scrutiny esp. for purposes of refutation Liddell, Scottand Jones, Greek-English Lexicon, 9th Edition. Begin with learners position Seek the gaps in the position Expose the need to learn to the individual (a humblingexperience) Dr F.Long, Education UCC Suggest a more fruitful line of inquiry 6. The educational work of Socrates Alcibiades Charmides Ion Laches Laches, Nicias, Socrates Lysimachus and Melesias 7. 7Alcibiades speaks of Socrates in Symposium:Socrates was worth seeing, gentlemen, whenthe army retreated in flight from Delium Firstof all, he was more self-possessed thanLaches. And he seemed to me, as you put it,Aristophanes, to advance there just as he doeshere, holding his head high and looking fromside to side, calmly watching both his friendsand the enemy. It was clear to everyone evenfrom far off that if anyone laid a hand on him,he would fight back with everything he had.And, for that reason, he got away safely, bothhe and Laches. For pursuers do not touch theones who act like that in a battle. Instead, theygo after those who are in headlong flight.Dr F.Long, Education UCC 8. 8Charmides Today? Handsome,intelligent,well-educated, literate,good appearance, well-connected Living in a hall of mirrors identity shaped byexpectations ofothers???? Dr F.Long, Education UCC 9. 9Socrates 469-399 BC Charmides suffers from a sickness ofsoul which comes from not havingan idea who he is and what hestands for When asked a question abouthimself Charmides blushes andholds his head down. Socrates uses questions to movehim forward. Socrates promises a remedy and acharm the charm of Zalmoxis thatwould make a person immortal apathananizein (Charmides 156d)Dr F.Long, Education UCC 10. Ion Why isIon unhappy? Would attract 15-20000listeners Has only one interest in life:Homer (Ion 532b) Socrates: God takes away themind of these men and usesthem as his ministers.. (Ion534c) The meaning of the text ishidden from Ion for he is firstand foremost a servant of theMusesDr F.Long, Education 10 11. Interest?By a rule of art? By inspiration Interested in all poetry Only interested in Homer Leads to a generalised view Leads to a very individualthat is communicableview that is not particularlyaccording to rules of art communicable Leads to humanly structured Leads to divinely structuredknowledge which can beknowledge which can betaughtperformed 12. Laches: The parents concern we urge all this upon the lads, pointing out to them that they will not grow up to honour if they are rebellious and take no pains about themselves; but that if they take pains they may, perhaps, become worthy of the names which they bear. Plato, Laches 179d, translated by B. Jowett 13. 13TriremeHow the story unfolds Nicias and Laches reply: Public affairs may lead to the neglect ofchildren Why have you not consulted Socrates who hasbeen brave in battle and is also a philosopher? They reply that they had not heard of him When Socrates is asked, Socrates responds byasking first for the views of Nicias and LachesDr F.Long, Education 14. 14Answering the parents worry Niciassuggests that the wearing of armour is very important Notice: parents hunch is reinforced by this suggestion but it is not realistic Laches Debunks the suggestion by telling a story about the soldier whose lance caught in a sail Conclusion is that unless a person is already brave, the wearing of armour will not make him so Notice: parents hunch is not reinforced parents are puzzled...Socrates is called upon Dr F.Long, Education 15. 15Socrates response Whoseopinion would you follow on any matter? He sets aside the hearsay knowledge of youth bearing arms He looks for knowledge that reflects the soul of the youth Bravery is a virtue and can only be developed using educational not technique Need for interiorityDr F.Long, Education 16. Socrates condemned It isnot a lack of arguments thathas caused my condemnation, buta lack of effrontery andimpudence, and the fact that Ihave refused to address you in away which would give you themost pleasureApology 38c Dr F.Long, Education UCC 16 17. 17Socratess defence He was only ever a minor influence That he feared untruth more than death That he operated on a divine mission for the good ofhumanity not just the good of Athens He objected to the idea that the jury should dispensejustice as a favour He proclaimed his justice against their injustice(Apology 32b, his wakefulness against their slumber(Apology30e), his concern for virtue against their alltoo human cares (Apology 23c), his wisdom againsttheir ignorance (Apology 29a) IN short, he made an outrageous defence. Why? Dr F.Long, Education UCC 18. Links http://classics.mit.edu/Plato/laches.html http://classics.mit.edu/Plato/ion.html http://classics.mit.edu/Plato/charmides.html