This study argues that Aristophanes' Clouds offers a
serious critique of Socrates and a coherent two part
attack on Socratic philosophy. The first prong of
the attack, that Socrates was a natural philosopher,
provides the basis for the second prong, the
rhetorical charge that Socrates makes the weaker
argument the stronger. This rhetorical and
scientific understanding of philosophy allows
Aristophanes to argue that Socrates undermines the
family, traditional religion and morality, Athenian
custom, and political health more generally.
Plato's Republic is used as the counterpoint to
Aristophanes' charges, in which Socrates argues that
poetry does not contribute to the correct
understanding of the gods or human excellence.
Thus, poetry's pedagogy creates flawed human beings,
while misunderstanding what is necessary for good
citizenship and political health more generally.
The final part of the study examines the two notions
of political health; the relative rank order of
poetry, philosophy, and politics; and the
implications of this study for modern politics.
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Właśnie zrecenzowałem Poetry and Philosophy
This study argues that Aristophanes' Clouds offers a serious critique of Socrates and a coherent two part attack on Socratic philosophy. The first prong of the attack, that Socrates was a natural