The paper follows from new collection of Socratic studies Socrates and the Socratic Dialogue (2018) edited by Alessandro Stavru a Christopher Moore. The author points to increased interest of scholars in re-examining Socratic philosophy, presents so-called “minor Socratics” as important figures of the Socratic movement, and reflects their significance for the study of Socrates՚ philosophy and its legacy. Final part outlines philosophical relevance of Aeschines of Sphettus.
Aeschines of Sphettus is a Socratic author that deserves more attention than he actually gets, as he is, besides Plato and Xenophon, the only Socratic who left substantial literary records. The present paper focuses on his representation of Socrates’ educational activity. Aeschines’ Socrates does not only disavow any technical capability to make the others better, but he entrusts the educational work to an unpredictable “divine dispensation” which simply means a factor that escapes the educator’s control. Not unlike Alcibiades, who is the target of Socratic educational endeavour in Aeschines’ dialogue, the author himself must have experienced in his life that achievement of virtue cannot be simply transferred from educator to educated, but requires a strong personal commitment.
The paper deals with an ambiguous character of ancient testimonies about Aeschines of Sphettus, who belongs to the first generation of Socrates՚ followers and the eldest authors of the Socratic dialogues. Aeschines is portrayed in these testimonies both as an author and a plagiarist, as a Socratic and a pretender. The paper tries to show that the key to understanding this ambiguity could be Alcibiades՚ character in Aeschines՚ dialogue of the same name in which Alcibiades is depicted as a student who can become better only when he is in company with his teacher. Without this company he is defeated by his own passions.
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