Protagoras (dialogue)

Lore & Background

The dialogue begins with an unnamed friend of Socrates asking about his pursuit of Alcibiades. Socrates explains that the sophist Protagoras, whom he calls the wisest man alive, is in town. He recounts how his young friend Hippocrates roused him before dawn to be introduced to Protagoras as a potential student. Socrates warns Hippocrates that sophists are dangerous, as their words go straight into the soul and can corrupt a person.

Reader's Guide

At the home of Callias, Socrates and Hippocrates are initially turned away by a eunuch who mistakes them for sophists. Inside, Protagoras walks around a cloister surrounded by admirers. Protagoras does not deny being a sophist, claiming it is an ancient art practiced by Homer and Hesiod. Socrates questions whether virtue can be taught, pointing out that in democratic Athens everyone's opinion is considered on matters of state, and that even Pericles could not impart wisdom to his sons. Protagoras responds with a myth: after Epimetheus gave all traits to animals, leaving man defenseless, Prometheus stole fire and practical wisdom. Zeus later sent Hermes to distribute shame and justice equally among all humans, explaining why civic virtue is broadly understood. Protagoras also offers a logos, arguing that people punish the unjust because they believe virtue can be taught, and that everyone teaches virtue to some degree, much like flute-playing in a hypothetical city-state.

Did You Know?

• The dialogue includes twenty-one people specifically said to be present, including three known sophists.
• Socrates says he regards Prodicus as a man of inspired genius.
• A eunuch servant in the employ of Callias initially slams the door on Socrates and Hippocrates, mistaking them for sophists.
• Protagoras claims that the same art practiced by Homer and Hesiod is the art of the sophist.