Strepsiades 'Use Of Sophistry In Socrates'

Entering the school as a student, Strepsiades continuously asks about sophistry, saying to Socrates, “I want instruction in your second Logic, you know the one––the get-away-without-paying argument.” (The Clouds, p26) When Socrates instead begins teaching him other concepts, Strepsiades childishly demands, “Logic! Logic! Teach me your immoral Logic!” (The Clouds, p52) In Strepsiades’ case, the desire to learn sophistry in order to exploit debt collection outweighs any curiosity or respect for the pursuit of logic. The Clouds discuss Strepsiades’ follies, judging him by nature, saying “such is wickedness, such its fatal fascination: this senile amateur of fraud, by greed and guile obsessed, frantic to disown his debts.” (The Clouds, p96) Whether Socrates …show more content…
“I found that those who had the highest reputation were nearly the most deficient, while those who were thought to be inferior were more knowledgeable.” (Apology, 22.a) Plato states that the best way for a philosopher to survive is to remain a private figure, therefore, those who claimed to practice philosophy with high reputations, such as sophists, were false philosophers. Aristophanes describes the fame that Strepsiades would receive if mastering sophistry, “Your life shall be the envy of all mankind.” and “before long thousands of clients will stampede to your doors, begging, pleading, imploring your service and advice in all their lawsuits––many involving incredible sums.” (The Clouds, p40) Both Plato and Aristophanes agree that sophistry will bring fame and money, but neither confirm that this is the life of a true