The Irony Of Socrates In Plato's Republic

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Socrates is seen as an intriguing human being in many different aspects. Philosophy itself is an intriguing topic, Socrates is the master of philosophy, making him such a fascinating person. One of the things that makes Socrates so original is his way of making others think, Socrates does not truly teach by force feeding answers. Socrates teaches by asking questions, and by challenging the thought process. Another thing that makes Socrates an intriguing person is his use, even creation, of Socratic irony. Finally, Socrates is so intriguing because the only things we know about him is from his student, Plato. Every single thing about his life would’ve been lost in time if it were not for someone who wrote about his life. Almost every aspect of the great Socrates is so…show more content…
This Irony is a pose of ignorance assumed in order to entice others into making statements that can be challenged. This is shown very well on page 142 of The Great Dialogues of Plato. Socrates asks Cephalos, “What do you think the greatest good you have gained from getting great wealth?”. Socrates knows that Cephalos is not a wholesome man, he already knows that Cephalos is going to respond in a way that will have to actually correlation to justice, just self-preservation. In the article, The Irony of Socrates, by E.L. Burge, he says, “Socrates, who was notorious for his use of the device as a means of discomforting his opponents without exposing himself to the risk of being shown to be wrong.” This type of discomfort was shown vividly, especially with Cephalos’s son, Polymarchos. Professor Vlastos says, in Paula Gottlieb’s article, The Complexity of Socratic Irony, “Before Socrates, irony is connected with lying and deceit, but after Socrates it is associated with wit and urbanity.” Socrates’ use of Socratic irony makes him immensely intriguing, as he can use irony to wholesomely challenge his

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