This blog is inspired by Socrates questioning if wisdom of word can be taught, in other words if being a good citizen can be taught? We find this in his first dialogue with Protagoras, the sophist. Socrates first critiques Hippocrates for wanting to pay money to Protagoras to teach him how to become better. He then confronts Portagoras himself and asks him why he is teaching the not teachable. For socrates the non teachable is something that can't "be imparted from one human being to another" (Plato, Prot. 319b). For him it is clear that knowledge is not something to purchase.
Protagoras' reason for teaching wisdom, specifically the art of politics which requires reason, is because human beings were not made with this type of talent when the gods were making them, they ran out of talents for human beings and had to borrow from the gods, so they borrowed from Athena and Hephaestus wisdom of the practical arts. Human beings were being killed by wild animals because they were lacking the art of politics. So they had to merge together in cities to survive. But because they still lacked the art of politics they would argue and cities would separate and human beings again would get killed. Zeus decided to send justice to instal order and bonds of friendship. Zeus ordered to distribute justice to all equally becuase Protagoras explains that without justice cities cannot happen and cities are necessary for survival. By us gin the gods, Protagoras is clearly trying to explain in an Athenian style.
It seems that Protagoras considers something to be teachable when there is a universal belief about the matter being taught. In the case of political virtue, all humans have a share of justice; this includes any other social virtue. It is important to note that for him there are certain things that happen due to nature and these are not teachable. But there are things that through practice and training a person can achieve. Another way of explaining virtues as being taught is the using the model of Athenian punishing. You do not punish someone to fix what they have done, because the event cannot be erased. But you punish someone so that they can change their ways. Theirs ways can be changed by teaching them justice and the rest of the virtues. This is another way Protagoras explains why virtues are teachable.
But can we really have virtue through training? If this was true then another question we should be asking is how are we guaranteeing future generations to develop their civic virtues? How is virtue better learned, through a one on one mentor like Protagoras or through experience?
It is interesting to see that Plato initiates his dialogue about Protagoras by asking questions about virtue. Maybe this is an indication that virtue is really important for Plato, suggesting that all we do evolves around virtue, and most importantly how do we acquire virtue.
Protagoras' reason for teaching wisdom, specifically the art of politics which requires reason, is because human beings were not made with this type of talent when the gods were making them, they ran out of talents for human beings and had to borrow from the gods, so they borrowed from Athena and Hephaestus wisdom of the practical arts. Human beings were being killed by wild animals because they were lacking the art of politics. So they had to merge together in cities to survive. But because they still lacked the art of politics they would argue and cities would separate and human beings again would get killed. Zeus decided to send justice to instal order and bonds of friendship. Zeus ordered to distribute justice to all equally becuase Protagoras explains that without justice cities cannot happen and cities are necessary for survival. By us gin the gods, Protagoras is clearly trying to explain in an Athenian style.
It seems that Protagoras considers something to be teachable when there is a universal belief about the matter being taught. In the case of political virtue, all humans have a share of justice; this includes any other social virtue. It is important to note that for him there are certain things that happen due to nature and these are not teachable. But there are things that through practice and training a person can achieve. Another way of explaining virtues as being taught is the using the model of Athenian punishing. You do not punish someone to fix what they have done, because the event cannot be erased. But you punish someone so that they can change their ways. Theirs ways can be changed by teaching them justice and the rest of the virtues. This is another way Protagoras explains why virtues are teachable.
But can we really have virtue through training? If this was true then another question we should be asking is how are we guaranteeing future generations to develop their civic virtues? How is virtue better learned, through a one on one mentor like Protagoras or through experience?
It is interesting to see that Plato initiates his dialogue about Protagoras by asking questions about virtue. Maybe this is an indication that virtue is really important for Plato, suggesting that all we do evolves around virtue, and most importantly how do we acquire virtue.
Really good blog Mariela. I would personally say that virtue is cultivated through training but it is not only training.
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