At 327b-d of Protagoras, Protagoras draws a parallel between a community in which people teach each other the “aulos” (a Greek wind instrument) and one in which the laws are taught. Explain the parallel and its significance in the text. In light of what we already have studied, what would have been a few ways in which Athenian citizens would have learned the laws?
In this extract, Plato presents the sophist !i.e., professional philosopher” Protagoras
talking with Socrates about how people become good.
The extract contains a theory of moral education, and a theory of punishment. But
most importantly, it is a discussion of the principles of democracy. The view that
Socrates puts forward, and that Protagoras endorses and explains # that ethical
competence is a non-technical matter, and a universal human quality # is understood
by both him and Socrates to be one of the basic ideas behind democracy. Think
about why this is so.
Do not assume that the ‘story’ that Protagoras tells shows that he thinks our ethical
abilities have a divine origin. The story is certainly allegorical. Protagoras was a
known agnostic, who famously declared that he had no view at all on whether or not
the gods exist. In which case, you need to consider what its allegorical meaning
might be.
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