Socrates And Alcibiades Research Paper
The Athenian general and politician Alcibiades, widely respected for his heritage and upbringing, was a brilliant, although unscrupulous leader. Known for his extraordinary ambition and pride, Alcibiades proves to be somewhat of an enigma, attracting attention and creating tension in all areas of his life. In Plato's Symposium, the disorder and revel brought about by the intoxicated Alcibiades serves to illustrate a fundamental misunderstanding of Socrates and his philosophical way of life. In Thucydides' History of the Peloponnesian War, Alcibiades is instead portrayed as the physical manifestation of Athenian imperialism at its most potentially destructive and powerful. Socrates' philosophical conceptions on the forms are in opposition to imperialism and thereby offer a more fruitful model for political enterprise than Alcibiades' intertwined empiric and personal pursuits. ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...Alcibiades reveals the workings of his relationship with Socrates, layering his dialogue with a mix of praise and blame. Utterly entranced by the power over others that Socrates enjoys through the use of his philosophical method, Alcibiades exclaims that "let anyone––man, woman or child––listen to you or even to a poor account of what you say––and we are all transported, completely possessed."(215D). This ability resonates on a deep level with Alcibiades' affinity towards personal distinction. The enchanting element of Socrates' nature deceives Alcibiades into thinking of Socrates as his lover. Alcibiades supposes that by providing Socrates with sexual favors he might "teach me everything he knew"(217A). That is, Alcibiades had hoped to gain insight from Socrates' hidden wisdom for personal
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