At his trial, Socrates says that he has been accused for a long time of “making the weaker argument defeat the stronger” and teaching others to do the same (19B). This linked him in the public mind with the sophists who taught rhetoric—the art of persuasive speaking—and with the skillful politicians who had persuaded the Athenian citizens to follow wartime policies that led to disaster. Later, Socrates explains that he stayed out of politics in Athens because “the true champion of justice, if he intends to survive even for a short time, must necessarily confine himself to private life and leave politics alone” (31E-32A). Using any of the assigned episodes from Thucydides’ History as examples, address EITHER of these question clusters: 1) how did Athenian statesmen make “the weaker argument defeat the stronger”? how did they use rhetorical trickery? 2) in the speeches, debates, and incidents Thucydides describes, is there a place for morality in political life? why or why not?
Welcome to Legit Writing
