Monday, March 25, 2013

Small Group Assignment #3


Small  Group  #3  Assignment


1. Describe Socrates’ relationship with his friend at the opening of the Protagoras.
 What do you think Socrates is  trying to teach the friend by telling him  this story about himself and Hippocrates  going to visit  the sophists at Callias’ house?

2.  Describe the relationship between Hippocrates and  Socrates in the  Protagoras.   What does Hippocrates think he will learn from  Protagoras?  What is  Socrates trying to teach Hippocrates about the learning process? 


3.  Describe the relationship between Apollodorus and the friends that he tells the story of Agathon’s party to.  Do you see any similarities between the opening of the Symposium and the opening of the Protagoras?   Is Apollodorus trying to teach them anything?

4.  In your view  what is  Socrates trying to teach  the symposiasts by telling them about his  encounters with Diotima?  What  is he trying to get them to see about love that they do not currently  see?


5.  Within that story,  how would you describe the  relationship between Socrates and Diotima?  What is she trying to teach him about the nature of  love?  (I think there are three main parts to this  lesson)


6.   Do you think Alcibiades understood what  Socrates was trying to teach him about love and the nature of  philosophy?  If  so,  why do you think Alcibiades turns away from philosophy toward politics?  If not,  what  limitations in  Socrates as a teacher or  Alcibiades as a student (or them both as people more generally) might have hindered  Alcibiades’ ability to learn? 

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