What Makes Socrates An Interesting Character Essay
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What Makes Socrates an Interesting Character?
(Factors from Plato’s Republic Book I and Book II That Make Socrates an Interesting Character)
In Plato’s Republic, Socrates is the main character whose eyes the dialogues are written through. When reading the dialogues, readers are able to find that Socrates is an interesting character by both the ways he thinks and acts. He’s one who is different in everything he does, the way he sees the world and the way he teaches. Socrates is an individual who does not give up an argument at all, people whom he argues with are aware of this therefore they easily give up an argument knowing it’s impossible to prove a point to Socrates. But Socrates does not let them give up, he persuades them to continue explaining…show more content… Socrates is a teacher of the youth, but he is not a sophist, he does not teach for profit of money, he teaches or the enjoyment of seeing the youth learn. An example of how he teaches the youth and gets them to like him is in Republic Book I in lines 334C-335E, when he speaks to Polemarchos after changing his mind about what justice is, asking, “Then shall we fight him? Shall we be partners , you and I, if anyone says that this has been laid down by Simonides, or Bias, or Pittacos, or any other of the wise and blessed men?” (Plato). It shows he has passion in what he does and finds enjoyment in teaching the youth the right way to look at things. His enjoyment is shown in the Republic in Book II, lines 353A-354C when he describes Glaucon, “For Glaucon is always the bravest, and h showed it then. He would not accept Thrasymachos’ great renunciation…” (Plato). His enjoyment is shown in this short quote because of the tone he uses, the reader can tell he is proud of Glaucon, giving him more purpose to continue teaching and the reason he loves to do