Classics 349 - Socrates Against the Sophists

In a number of Plato's dialogues we find the character Socrates debating various sophists--itinerant teachers-for-hire whose views were often diametrically opposed to Socrates' own. This seminar is structured around a close, careful reading of three such dialogues: the Euthydemus, the Protagoras, and the Gorgias. These dialogues will offer a general introduction to Socratic philosophy, but we will also focus on a few issues in much greater detail. Chief among those special topics will be questions about the nature and value of moral knowledge, the possibility of moral education, and the efficacy of the Socratic method of inquiry.

Prereq: 8 credits in Philosophy or Classics (or in a combination of Philosophy and Classics).