Plato goes a long way in attempting to distinguish Socrates from the likes of Protagoras, a self admitted sophist. In Protagoras, Socrates is depicted as a street smart, wisdom dispensing young man, brash with confidence and a bit of arrogance that goes a long way when confronted with the old school rhetoric of Protagoras. Plato begins to separate the two at the hip right from the get go. The dialogue between Socrates and his inquisitive friend Hippocrates went a long way to show that Socrates had more questions than answers about Protagoras, the sophist, especially when it came to talk about what it is exactly that he offers.
Socrates’ companion is eager to hear the words of Protagoras and become one of his pupils, for he thinks that there is much to be learned from him and he is willing to sacrifice all that he has to do so. Socrates starts to ask him what it is exactly that he thinks Protagoras offers, his friend is unsure, and the two begin a lengthy dialogue trying to distinguish a sophist from any other person of ability and wisdom. Socrates has the opinion that it would be very dangerous to place your soul in the hands of a sophist, for you do not know what he may teach or what harm or evil may occur as a result.
Plato shows us right away that he does not consider Socrates to be a sophist, and his views that a sophist may be dangerous to the soul, a part of the being that is held in highest regard, shows that he is not easily swayed by the general perception of the sophist’s prominence. Socrates questions Hippocrates and says, “You are going to commit your soul to the care of a man whom you call a sophist. And yet I hardly think that you know what a sophist is; and if not, then you do not even know to whom you are committing your soul and whether the thing to which you commit yourself be good or evil”.
Plato is showing us that Socrates is far from an avid supporter of the sophists. Although he does not come right out and say that he is against them it is easy to see that some animosity exists. If one does not know what a sophist is or what he does, then how might one know that it is safe to be exposed to the teachings of one? Socrates advises that to approach with caution is the wisest thing to do. Plato tries to dissect the entity of a sophist to further demonstrate his viewpoint on the subject.
At this time in history sophists were viewed upon as being harmful to the youth of the land. They were dangerous and taught people to question what has been taught to them for centuries. A sophist was a hypnotist, one who could sway even the most devoted believer into complete and utter disbelief with their cunning use of language and rhetoric. Plato included many instances of where it is evident that they are less than popular. When Socrates shows up at the house of Callias he is greeted with a rude awakening by the door keeper.
“And I think that the door-keeper, who was a eunuch, and who was probably annoyed at the great inroad of the sophists, must have heard us talking. At any rate, when we knocked at the door, and he opened and saw us, he grumbled: They are sophists? he is not at home; and instantly gave the door a hearty bang with both his hands. ” At the very glance of a sophist the door-keeper was instantly inclined to slam the door in their face and not deal with the likes of a sophist. It took some convincing for them to be ushered into the home.
Plato is showing the current prejudice, for lack of a better word that the sophist had to incur. At those times as Protagoras later points out, sophists had to travel from town to town and often hide or run away after they had been discovered by the masses. They were not thought of in a graceful light at the time and Protagoras was the biggest type of sophist: popular, famous and at that time the first to charge a fee for his services. Plato talked about the fact that Protagoras made no effort to conceal his sophistry.
Unlike many others, who tried to mask their sophistry with poems, or epics, he was very proud to be a sophist and decided the best way to maintain his profession and at the same time keep the masses of his back is to operate quietly and in seclusion. He preferred those who wish to learn from him, to come to him. The other sophist of the times traveled through the towns teaching anyone at arms length, a method that was in much higher danger of criticism than the one adopted by Protagoras. A sophist would speak, a sophist would teach, a sophist would use language and words to manipulate a situation to fit his point.
A sophist would engulf you in his words and make the impossible seem possible. A sophist would share his views on the world, life, and the future with you; he would make you see the light of day even if it was night. A sophist was a wise man who had the gift of gab, the ability to influence, the ability to sway, the ability to teach the young how to be better speakers. All of the qualities that Socrates claimed he did not possess. Socrates was depicted as a clever man, yet one who never taught, never persuaded, never tried to make his thoughts shared by others.
He was not a sophist, not a teacher, not a “wise man”. “A wise man knows that he knows nothing”. Socrates always spoke of the fact that he was not a sophist because he was only out for the truth. He never wanted you to believe his words just because they came out of his mouth, he only asked the questions that were necessary to draw out the map to the truth buried down below the layers of rhetoric. When Protagoras attempted to mask the truth with lengthy dialogue and speech, a practice all too familiar with sophists, Socrates was quick to attempt to get back on the path of reality leading to truth.
This is where Plato makes his biggest contrast between Socrates and Protagoras. When the two have their discussion about the essence of knowledge and virtue Protagoras is quick to attempt to go into lengthy and ambiguous answers in reply to the simple and direct questions that Socrates asks him, because in reality Protagoras is a sophist, and that is what sophists do. On the other hand Socrates is quick to attempt to get Protagoras to answer with short answers and limit his ability to mask the truth, allowing Socrates to pull him into his own game of questions leading to precisely where Socrates has in mind.
Plato wants us to see that Socrates, in not being a sophist, is more inclined to ask direct questions as his form of speaking, while Protagoras, a sophist, prefers the ambiguity and indirectness of long form speech. Sophists back then operated much like a psychic might today, telling prophecies in shady and uncertain words, with many possible outcomes and rarely any direct promises or fortunes. Protagoras made a name for himself by being a master of words.
Much like Plato spelling out his ideas and beliefs in these stories through characters instead of directly stating his opinions, Socrates would become even more famous and respected for his ability to ask the right questions to lead to the truth. It is important to mention that Plato did not make Socrates out to be the greatest thing since the invention of the wheel. On a few occasions during the verbal duel between himself and Protagoras Socrates was “stunned” by Protagoras when he brought up the Simonides poem, much like a boxer stunned from a right hook, Socrates was shook after Protagoras made a keen point during the argument.
I think Plato did this as a way of glorifying the eventual victory by Socrates. The fact that he overcame an early stumble and eventually landed the final blow in the duel was symbolic of his greatness and ability. The argument and ultimate victory were rights of passage of sort, a passing of the torch from one great mind to another. Plato could have just as easily made Protagoras out to be a sacrificial lamb if he chose to, but didn’t. He wanted the victory to be one of great significance, against a viable opponent. There is a great philosophical significance of the philosopher beating the sophist at his own game.
Not only did Socrates take all of the punishment offered by Protagoras but he came back twice as strong. He didn’t just beat a sophist, he beat the best sophist. Throughout the story Protagoras is depicted as a wise man, not a fool, thus making the victory that much sweater. The two battled back and forth both getting their shots in where they could. Protagoras brought the crowd into the arguments as both audience and judges to officiate the duel, but to his dismay it did not help. Plato addresses the criticisms of Socrates by other authors such as Aristophanes by painting him with a different brush.
In the Clouds Socrates was a fool, hanging from the skies while trying to prove some crazy notion about the world, a very unfavorable portrait and one that Plato attempts to smear. Plato has Socrates appear as a wise man who doesn’t reveal his hand all at once. Socrates is a young man, on the brink of greatness, and everyone including Protagoras is starting to see that. Plato had much more respect for Socrates than did the other writers of his time and wrote about him accordingly. Socrates went toe to toe with the greatest sophist of his time and came out on top, which is an accomplishment worth being remembered for.