Analysis of the demonstration of philosophy in Platos Alcibiades - Essay Example

8 February, Analysis of the demonstration of philosophy in Plato’s Alcibiades: Thedialogue provides the reader with an insight to the truth of ethics. The dialogue serves as the best means of discussion about such an abstract term as “ethics”, because the reader gains the most rational understanding of ethics based on his/her personal analysis of each and every aspect of the whole dialogue instead of the author convincing the audience by imposing his/her beliefs on it through the text. The articles presents a dialogue between Alcibiades, a young and energetic man, and Socrates who astonishes Acibiades by making him contradict his own beliefs, based upon which, Alcibiades was all set to guide the Athenians.

Socrates expresses his lack of faith in Alcibiades’ premature assertions, realizing which Alcibiades makes an attempt to address the query of Socrates. Socrates first makes Alcibiades think of the division between just and unjust, and then between just and expedient. Alcibiades feels very confident in his concepts of these terms but looses his confidence as Socrates plays with words to turn the meanings opposite. This leads both of them to an argument in which Socrates confuses Alcibiades with concepts, beliefs and experiences in such a way that Alcibiades feels like loosing his argument to Socrates in the end, and makes a confession that he knows too little to influence the Athenians, and chooses Socrates as his “master”.

An in-depth analysis of the dialogue suggests that Socrates’s arguments were too generic and often misleading, though Alcibiades did not realize it in the heat of discussion. Socrates’s arguments reflect idealism. He tends to draw conclusions by slithering the concepts through such paths which were full of pitfalls. Overall, it is a thought provoking dialogue that makes the reader realize that it is very important to be fully knowledgeable about something that he/she intends preaching others.

As Socrates said to Alcibiades, “But how are you ever likely to know the nature of justice and injustice, about which you are so perplexed, if you have neither learned them of others nor discovered them yourself?” (Plato). The dialogue differentiates between what are opinions and what are universally acknowledged facts. One can be an excellent teacher of universally acknowledged facts, but the opinions vary from individual to individual. Teaching ethics is very difficult because the underlying factors leading to ethics are extremely difficult to recognize and interpret into words.

And what is more difficult is to convince others. The truth of ethics: The discussion reveals that ethics is neither learned nor discovered. Instead, it is ingrained in the human conception and psychology. Alcibiades was made to realize by Socrates that he had neither learnt what justice is from anywhere nor did he ever happen to discover its definition. Alcibiades just knew it at the outset of his development of understanding of the world and its philosophy. Sometimes what is just may appear inappropriate and vice versa.

Also, when something is inappropriate, it is not inappropriate for all. When someone is at risk, there is someone at the other side who gains an opportunity. Therefore, people tend to align ethics with their personal interests. This causes a conflict of opinions while each of the rivals considers himself complying with the laws of ethics. Works cited: Plato. “Alcibiades I.” n.d. Web. 9 Feb. 2011. .