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askphilosophy

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First time here? Welcome! You ask questions; we provide answers. A great resource to check before you ask a question is the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. You may also want to check our list of frequently asked questions to see if your question has already been answered.
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[–]ccmulliganphil. of law, jurisprudence, continental, early modern phil. 8 points9 points10 points  (4 children)
Socrates taught Plato.
[–]pkh9uerh8g0erh9hreihistory of philosophy, analytic philosophy -7 points-6 points-5 points  (3 children)
No, that is not true. Socrates never taught Plato since he did not teach anybody - he "taught" him. In fact, the role of Socrates is much closer to one of quasi-prophet than one of teacher since, unlike Sophists(who were teachers) he did not take any money for dialogues and had no formal procedure of education - in fact, that is one of defenses Socrates uses in the Apology. It is much more likely that he simply wanted to spread critical thinking among population of Athens, and Plato was the one who strongly fell under his influence - in that aspect Socrates is his "teacher". But outright calling him a teacher paints a wrong mental picture.
[–]Insertphunnyusername 1 point2 points3 points  (0 children)
I think it's splitting hairs. While your argument is still sound, he was essentially Plato's teacher for all intents and purposes. Whether he had a title at an academy or not, Plato considered him his teacher. So that is not incorrect. However, Socrates himself did not consider himself to be a teacher, more of a 'seeker of truth." So it was more that he influenced Plato and Plato interpreted his philosophies within his own texts.
[–]Hyperchimes 2 points3 points4 points  (1 child)
So what exactly is wrong with the statement "Socrates taught Plato"?
[–]pkh9uerh8g0erh9hreihistory of philosophy, analytic philosophy 0 points1 point2 points  (0 children)
Exactly this - Socrates didn't teach him, as he taught nobody.
This is a misleading statement. If I was, for example, include it in my thesis or tell this at exam I would surely get a lower mark. It can only be used as a metaphor, but it should be made clear that it's not to be taken at face value.
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