Daniel W. Graham, PhDinThe First PhilosophersPlato 9.4.2 Socrates Among the Natural PhilosophersBefore there were sophists, there were natural philosophers. Starting with Thales around 600 BC and continuing down to Socrates’ time, a…1d ago11d ago1
Daniel W. Graham, PhDinThe First PhilosophersPlato 9.4 Who Is Socrates?It is easy to get lost in the marvel that is Socrates. Affable, idiosyncratic, self-deprecatory, incurably curious, logical to a fault…3d ago3d ago
Daniel W. Graham, PhDinThe First PhilosophersPlato 9.3 Socrates ImprisonedIn the sequel to Plato’s Apology of Socrates, the dialogue Crito, we meet Socrates in prison.[9] Executions in Athens occur soon after a…6d ago6d ago
Daniel W. Graham, PhDinThe First PhilosophersPlato 9.2 Socrates’ MissionAfter distancing himself from natural philosophers and sophists, Socrates goes on to talk about his special mission, in quasi-religious…Jul 17Jul 17
Daniel W. Graham, PhDinThe First PhilosophersPlato 9.1 Socrates on TrialSocrates stands before us in Plato’s portrayal, The Apology of Socrates, defending himself against the charges levelled against him by his…Jul 15Jul 15
Daniel W. Graham, PhDinThe First PhilosophersPlato 8.7 The Outlook in 399 BCWhen Socrates died in 399 BC, the world that he had known was passing away. The middle of the fifth century BC presented a world of endless…Jul 11Jul 11
Daniel W. Graham, PhDinThe First PhilosophersPlato 8.6.2 What Is the Role of Justice in a Technological World?The sophists could pride themselves on offering knowledge to a relatively large audience — not free of charge, to be sure, but to anyone…Jul 8Jul 8
Daniel W. Graham, PhDinThe First PhilosophersPlato 8.6.1 Sophistic EducationAfter Socrates’ eventful day in the world of the sophists we can make some observations. The sophists are self-assertive and…Jun 27Jun 27
Daniel W. Graham, PhDinThe First PhilosophersPlato 8.5 The Road Not TakenAs the conversation winds down, Protagoras refuses to answer any more questions. He recognizes that Socrates has won the day. But Socrates…Jun 24Jun 24
Daniel W. Graham, PhDinThe First PhilosophersPlato 8.4 What Is Courage?One way of distinguishing between courage and other virtues is to note that the possessor of the virtue must overcome fear. Those who have…Jun 19Jun 19