The Sophists Who are the Sophists? Nomos (law) vs. Physis (nature) Why Might People Have Hated the Sophists? Moral Relativism Distrusted by Conservatives Trickery Anti-Elitism Parasitic

Socrates Comparison to Sophists Arises among Sophists Man and society Moral Relativism? Discerning Right/Wrong Elenchus Delphic Oracle Connection with Plato

Trial of Socrates Peloponnesian War Aftermath Rule of Thirty Culture War Democracy and Reconciliation Socrates Charged Trial Format Socrates’ Defense Verdict Execution Recorded by Plato (and others)

Plato Plato posits two worlds World of Being—Perfection World of Becoming—this world Analogy of the Cave World we see constantly changing Rely on Reason

Aristotle Pupil of Plato Believed in Senses as well as reason Study the World around you

Plato vs. Aristotle Agreed on Reason, disagreed on Senses How to study the world? Math vs. Science Government

“for governments differ in kind, as will be evident to any one who considers the matter according to the method which has hitherto guided us. As in other departments of science, so in politics, the compound should always be resolved into the simple elements or least parts of the whole. We must therefore look at the elements of which the state is composed, in order that we may see in what the different kinds of rule differ from one another, and whether any scientific result can be attained about each one of them.” Aristotle, Politics Approach to studying government

Plato vs. Aristotle Agreed on Reason, disagreed on Senses How to study the world? Math vs. Science Government Attitudes towards Democracy Plato: very skeptical

“How grandly does she trample all these fine notions of ours under her feet, never giving a thought to the pursuits which make a statesman, and promoting to honour any one who professes to be the people’s friend….These and other kindred characteristics are proper to democracy, which is a charming form of government, full of variety and disorder, and dispensing a sort of equality to equals and unequals alike.” Plato on Democracy

Plato vs. Aristotle Agreed on Reason, disagreed on Senses How to study the world? Math vs. Science Government Attitudes towards Democracy Plato: very skeptical Aristotle: Sees potential for good and bad

“For tyranny is a kind of monarchy which has in view the interest of the monarch only; oligarchy has in view the interest of the wealthy; democracy, of the needy: none of them the common good of all. Tyranny, as I was saying, is monarchy exercising the rule of a master over the political society; oligarchy is when men of property have the government in their hands; democracy, the opposite, when the indigent, and not the men of property, are the rulers.“ States logic of polis as “whence it follows that the majority must be supreme, and that whatever the majority approve must be the end and the just. Every citizen, it is said, must have equality, and therefore in a democracy the poor have more power than the rich, because there are more of them, and the will of the majority is supreme. Aristotle compares Democracy to other systems

Number of RulersRuler’s goodCommon Good One (Monarchy)TyrannyKingship FewOligarchyAristocracy Many (Democracy)Mob RuleConstitutional Government Aristotle’s Typology of Regimes

Plato vs. Aristotle Agreed on Reason, disagreed on Senses How to study the world? Math vs. Science Government Attitudes towards Democracy Plato: very skeptical Aristotle: still skeptical, though less extreme Continuing Debate about Senses/Reason

Epilogue: Undue Focus Overemphasize Philosophy and Education? Overemphasize Democracy?