Alcibiades The Strangeness Of Socrates

The strangeness of Socrates can be considered misguided. He was more than just a strange man who did strange things. He followed his philosophy of living philosophy. On the surface, a reader might question what good might come out of following Socrates. As a man, he was aggressively arrogant but smart. Because of this, his supposed strangeness and comparisons by Alcibiades help us understand who he is. Socrates was more than just strange. Loved by Alcibiades, the speech made in praise to Socrates was both explaining who he truly was. It even ended up making an attempt to justify the love Alcibiades has for Socrates. At first glance, the strangeness Alcibiades associates with Socrates stems from the unbelievable attraction he has with a
The next few lines even talked about his resistance to cold and unorthodox choices he made. Furthermore, during a skirmish, Socrates was found in the utmost state of calmness. As described by Alcibiades, “He was watching everyone, friend or foe, with the most extreme calm…you try to keep a good distance between yourself and such resolute men in battle. It’s the men who run haphazardly in retreat that you tend to pursue” (220b). This is the type of calmness and reactions reserved for a man on a different level from others. Showing no fear for his safety, Socrates continued acting in a way he thought was appropriate, and in a way which was labelled as unique and strange by Alcibiades. In the following lines, Alcibiades would describe Socrates as “utterly unique” and that “he is like no one else, past or present.” These were the instances where Socrates displayed the strangeness of his personality. Regardless of Alcbiades’ claim that Socrates was strange, I would not label him as that. Strange implies that Socrates is does things that would keep people at arms-length. Strangeness feels a bit inappropriate to label him with. I prefer the usage of unique. On line 219b, Socrates does not fall into the traps set by
For this reason, being called a Satyr paints a vivid image of what people thought of Socrates. Composed of both human and goat parts, a Satyr could also be considered as not quite beautiful. This fits with the description of Socrates’ appearance by the Athenian people. Because of these comparisons, the reader is better able to see Socrates as more than just a hostile individual. Alcibiades not only praises Socrates, but clears his name as someone who only embarrassed citizens and flaunted his intelligence. Under the arrogance of a Satyr and ugliness, he was an individual filled to the brim with gold on the inside. Plato makes it clear that Alcibiades h¬¬¬¬ad highly regarded Socrates and that there was a reason a man of his status fell in love with Socrates. It is almost like he was justifying his love to Socrates for the reader and all of Athens. If not for his backstory with the experiences with Socrates, it would be far more difficult to understand the treasures hidden within Socrates. Ultimately, Socrates was a unique individual with treasures hidden beneath an arrogant exterior. It was not wrong for Alcibiades to claim that Socrates was strange, but it was misguided