Comparing Alcibiades And Socrates

In Alcibiades I, Plato dialogues an encounter between Alcibiades, an ambitious noble youth, and the Greek philosopher Socrates. Socrates, who recognizes Alcibiades’ quest for power, subjects the young man to a series of pedagogical questions in an attempt to expose his ignorance. His hope is not to embarrass or ridicule him, but to slowly cultivate and guide his rationale and thinking.
Socrates first proclaims that Alcibiades is unfit and ill-prepared to pursue a career in politics. He states that Alcibiades lacks both the knowledge and expertise to direct the city. Nevertheless, Alcibiades asserts that he is capable of advising the affairs of the Athenian assembly, such as when they are deliberating about war and peace. However, Socrates contends that one must first understand the differences between justice and injustice. When asked how he learned of what is just and unjust, Alcibiades suggests that he learned through self-discovery. He defends that he knew even as a kid, insisting that he could tell when others cheated playing childhood games. However, he could not
He compares this to his learning of Greek, his native tongue. Acquisition of any language, not just Greek, is a slow process that an individual gains as one matures and develops. Aside from learning grammar and spelling rules in school under formal education, there are no official instructors for teaching someone how to speak and communicate. Everyone that a person interacts with contributes to his or her comprehension of a language. New words and vocabulary are added to one’s speech and linguistic repertoire over time. Like Greek, Alcibiades believes that he slowly learned of justice as he grew up. Socializing with his friends taught him what was right and wrong, what was fair, equitable, and morally right. The many were his teachers, not any recognized