Table of ContentsIntroductionSocrates and the Sophists: SummaryConclusionIntroductionSocrates is known as one of the first philosophers in Western philosophy to devote his life to the study of human nature. Additionally, he believes that human beings are rational and that seeking truth is the most rational thing humans can do to truly live as human beings and care for their souls. The similarities and differences between the many types of new educators who emerged in fifth-century Athens, particularly between Socrates and the Sophists, remain a major topic today. This also leads to the citizens of ancient Athens being unable to distinguish between himself and the Sophists, which ultimately causes Socrates' death. Accordingly, a comparison of the similarities and differences between Socrates and the Sophists will be discussed in this essay in order to better understand their different approaches and goals towards human excellence. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why violent video games should not be banned"? Get the original essay Socrates and the Sophists: Summary Generally speaking, Socrates and the Sophists are often wrong because they are both talking about human affairs and 'arete, also known as virtue or the excellence of humanity. They also use rhetoric, "the art of communication and argumentation, as a technique of persuasion" when discussing these topics. However, Socrates and the Sophists have different goals and benefits. For sophists, they teach their students the skills of speaking and persuasion for victory. Sophists believe that persuasion is the basis of strong debate to defeat opponents. They used words as weapons and strategies to make their speeches stronger. This is perhaps one of the main reasons why people see that “sophists aim at victory and not at truth” (Melchert 95, ed. 8). In contrast, Socrates uses rhetoric to reach the truth when he speaks to other people, not “to defeat his adversary but to advance toward the truth” (Melchert 95, ed. 8). Furthermore, he claims that if people treat conversations like debates or battles and try to defeat an argument, they won't learn anything new. He wants to have a new perspective on human affairs to discover their ultimate truth. This is why Socrates prefers to question and listen to people to make them really think about what they are saying. Therefore, the goals of Socrates and the Sophists in the use of rhetoric will lead to different goals, for the Sophists' goal is their own gain, while Socrates' goal is the goods and souls of men. Another aspect to discover concerns teaching. This is also one of the biggest points that makes the citizens of Athens confuse Socrates and the Sophists. In The Clouds of Aristophanes, he attempts to differentiate between traditional education and the new and criticizes the new education as a danger to the morality and culture of Athens (Mintz 736). According to Mintz, Aristophanes not only addresses Socrates as "the chief representative of this new education," but he also says that Socrates "has a school and students who pay tuition." However, Plato's Socrates denies himself as a teacher, which is different from Aristophanes' version. Plato's Socrates describes himself as "a 'midwife' in the realm of thought" as well as "a gadfly of Athens." Plato's description of Socrates illustrates that he is not a teacher because he does not know much, or anything, abouthuman excellence. Rather than teaching someone and imparting the truth to them, it is more likely to extract the information or knowledge that people already have and connect it together. Therefore, everything people know comes from themselves through a conversation with Socrates. On the other hand, sophists considered themselves teachers of certain subjects such as geometry, philosophy and rhetoric. They even claim that they have the means to educate others, especially their students. Teaching, payment or tuition fees, also indicate the difference between Plato's Socrates and the sophists. As people already know, sophists teach their juniors, or students, to use rhetoric to debate and achieve victory in every conversation or argument. To them, these skills are strategies for getting someone into a verbal fight. Therefore, their goals are to gain “fame, wealth, and the satisfaction of [their] desire” through teaching (Melchert 97). From the perspective of the Sophists, good is anything that is good only for themselves, which is known as the law of self-preservation, to live as comfortably and luxuriously as possible. On the contrary, Socrates does not receive money because he does not desire material and physical things. For Socrates, nothing is more valuable than making true friends and leading to the truth. Moreover, he sincerely believes that everything people understand and realize comes from themselves when they have conversations and arguments with Socrates. This can be understood that he does not teach anyone anything, therefore he does not receive payment. Another reason Socrates does not receive payment concerns his freedom of choice. According to Blank, Xenophon's Socrates emphasizes that he is not obligated to engage in conversation if he does not want to. In other words, Socrates cannot cancel the course or leave his instructions behind once payment is made. After payment, Plato's Socrates and the Sophists have a huge difference in their beliefs. Sophists tend to believe in skepticism, questioning whether or not truth exists, and relativism, considering knowledge and truth to be relative in various contexts. They have a firm belief that the truth is contained and changeable. They argue that the truth for one may not be the truth for another due to difference "from culture to culture, from time to time, and even from individual to individual" ( Melchert 62). For example, people may not have the same idea about whether or not other creatures exist outside of Earth, or even the solar system. According to Melchert, more than a truth, the sophists seem to rely more on humanity itself as a "measure", the only standard of how things happen. Additionally, they have a skeptical view of the truth. In this particular area, Melchert suggests that the theories of many natural philosophers represent probabilities, not the truth, which humanity can best achieve. On the other hand, Socrates believes in absolute truth. He asserts that human beings are rational and that seeking truth is the most rational thing humans can do to enrich their souls. For Socrates, human beings must live according to their nature, which is self-reflection, truth, knowledge and wisdom. Not only do individuals discover the truth, but they must also value it because it is the purpose of their life. Although Socrates has confidence in the absolute truth, he has not yet found it. As a result, Socrates starts a conversation and asks people questions to get many.