Socrates Skill At Reciting And Explaining Homer's Odyssey

1. In Ion, Ion claims that his skill at reciting and explaining Homer's Iliad and Odyssey makes him an expert in every field on which Homer touches. What does Socrates think of this?
Socrates thinks that Ion does not become an expert in every field on which Homer touches, simply by reciting and explaining Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey. This is because of three main reasons. First, Socrates reasons that Ion does not gain any skill, wisdom, or knowledge through reciting and explaining all Homer’ work. This is because Ion has only limited his expertise to Homer’s work. According to Socrates, a good art critic or judge should often be able to judge and criticize work of any artist and not a particular artist in order to demonstrate their expertise. Therefore, Ion’s claims, it would have been justified if he could be able to demonstrate his skills beyond reciting and explaining Homer’s work. …show more content…
He explains that Ion recites and explains Homer’s work not by the skills he derives from art but from divine influence. It is like God has taken full control of his mind and put him out of his senses. Hence his mind does not belong to him, since he cannot control it. Homer’s work has possessed Ion’s mind and has taken control over it hence, he is unable to control his own mind through artistic skills or expertise. Therefore, if he could be having artistic skills, he could be able not only to recite Homer’s work, but other artist, since he would be having control over his