Sophists’ Characteristics, Plato’s Myth, and Political Views
General Characteristics of the Sophists
- There is no truth, everything is a convention: Truth is an agreement, a convention decided by the majority, like in a democracy.
- No nature, only pairings: Unlike the Presocratics who explored nature (Physis), the Sophists consider it an empty concept.
- Moral values are conventional: The distinction between good and bad is culturally created, with moral values being conventional.
- Epistemological relativism: All truth is subject to change; there is no absolute truth, as perspectives vary across cultures and societies.
- Culture-dependent: Culture shapes our way of seeing and thinking, creating our individual truths.
- Education:
- Focuses on personal and social success.
- Emphasizes persuasion.
- Involves analyzing language through rhetoric.
Myth of the Cave (Book VII)
The Myth of the Cave, found in Book VII of Plato’s Republic, describes a dark cave where slaves are chained, only able to see shadows projected on the wall. This represents their limited knowledge of reality. When some slaves are released and venture outside, they initially struggle to see in the sunlight but eventually adjust and understand the true nature of the world. Upon returning to the cave to share their knowledge, they are met with disbelief.
In this myth, the soul is represented by the man climbing out of the cave into the world of ideas, gradually ascending to the highest idea, symbolized by the sun. The importance of education is highlighted by the collective support needed to escape the material world.
Plato’s Political Philosophy
When the enlightened man returns to the cave, it signifies the role of the aristocracy – the best and most qualified – to govern. This establishes justice and harmony in society. The sensible world and the world of ideas are hierarchical, with everything tending towards the idea of good, symbolized by the sun.
Comparison: Plato vs. Aristotle on Politics
Plato’s policy relies on metaphysics and the nature of man (tripartite society), while Aristotle bases his on understanding man as a social animal. Plato proposes aristocracy as the perfect system, while Aristotle favors monarchy, aristocracy, and democracy. Both analyze good and bad systems in society. Plato’s society is founded on justice, while Aristotle’s politics aims for the common good.
Plato’s social setting was democracy, which he shared with the Sophists, though he disagreed with their ideas. Aristotle lived under the Macedonian monarchy. Like Plato, Aristotle sees virtue as essential to politics. Plato argues that philosophers should rule, while Aristotle believes the governor must seek moral virtues for society. Their views on justice differ, with Aristotle seeing justice as controlling instincts.
Plato does not emphasize the physis, while Aristotle studies it. For Plato, there are two worlds: the world of ideas and the sensible world. For Aristotle, there is only one world, where reality is the substance composed of matter and form. Matter is matter itself, while the idea is the essence of reality.