A Socratic Sophists Dialectic

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Socratic dialectic can be bluntly described as a pursuit to seek for wisdom concluded by an in depth understanding through a group dialogue. Whereas sophistry can be described as a deceiving type of confab, this values debates and argumentation that teach virtue. The aim of a Socratic dialectic is to establish truth from discussion which helps those within a group to establish veracity on a basic or broader subject. Rhetoricians or Sophist teach the purpose of virtue; sophist way of communicating would prefer to argue and debate specific subjects, which only in turns leads to skeptism, and success of a winner. Clearly seen Socratic dialectic is an approach to a conversation that opens up a dialogue which allows participants to speak and gain knowledge from others, thusly leading to a truth that cannot be revealed through sophistry.

Within The Symposium, the Socratic Dialectic starts with the claims of Phaedrus that love “is the most ancient of the gods, and the most honored, and the most powerful in helping men gain virtue and blessedness, whether they are alive or have passed away” (Plato, Symposium 180B)(Plat. Sym.180b). Then Pausanias says that there are at least two kinds of love: sacred and profane, and one can never completely reject both of them (Plato, Symposium 180D-181D)Next, are the views of Eryximachus, he explains that there are two types of Eros (Good, and Bad) he begins by explaining how its’ disturbing human life only, into a general principle bearing on all existence, by which conflicting elements are brought into harmony (Plato, Symposium 186A-B)(186a-b). Aristophanes states originally that there were three types of human beings: male, female, and androgynous. Each human being had two heads and two sets of sex...

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...ny, n.d. 186A-B.

Plato. "Symposium ." Plato. Symposium . Hackett Publishing Company, n.d. 189E-190C, 190E-192E, 193A-B.

Plato. "Symposium ." Plato. Symposium . Hackett Publishing Company, n.d. 201D-203B.

Plato. "Symposium ." Plato. Symposium . Hackett Publishing Company, n.d. 198B-199B.

Plato. "Symposium ." Plato. Symposium . Hackett Publishing Company, n.d. 199C-201C.

Plato. "Symposium ." Plato. Symposium . Hackett Publishing Company, n.d. 198E-199A.

Plato. "Symposium ." Plato. Symposium . Hackett Publishing Company, n.d. 196C.

Plato. "Symposium ." Plato. Symposium . Hackett Publishing Company, n.d. 200A-B.

Plato. "Symposium ." Plato. Symposium . Hackett Publishing Company, n.d. 221E.

Plato. "Symposium ." Plato. Symposium . Hackett Publishing Company, n.d. 222D.

Plato. "Symposium ." Plato. Symposium . Hackett Publishing Company, n.d. 216A.

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