Prep Questions Set#7 Due: Tuesday, 10/1
Read the Protagoras, 192-218
1. As a sophist, Protagoras maintains at the beginning of our excerpts that “the art of citizenship” (a certain kind of virtue) is teachable, whereas Socrates denies that it is teachable. Explain the irony of this fact. (Hint: the irony isn’t made evident until the end of our excerpts.)
2. At 329d Socrates asks Protagoras how the various virtues are related to one another. Protagoras responds by claiming that “Virtue is a single entity, and [justice, temperance, piety, wisdom, and courage] are its parts … as the parts of the face are to the whole face.” Explain how Socrates attempts to refute this view.
3. The dialogue makes an unexpected turn at 352a, where Socrates takes up the question concerning the power of knowledge. What is Socrates’ principal claim on this subject, and how does this relate to the larger issue of courage’s being distinct from the other virtues?