ERIC Number: EJ1472033
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025-Jun
Pages: 13
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0013-2004
EISSN: EISSN-1741-5446
Available Date: 2025-03-25
Education through Argument in Plato's "Protagoras"
Mason Marshall1
Educational Theory, v75 n3 p501-513 2025
More and more lately, commentators who have defended Socrates have emphasized the extent to which he uses non-rational means of educating his interlocutors, and commentators have downplayed the extent to which he means to offer arguments that provide justification or are rationally persuasive. The trend is refreshing since students of Socrates have often read him as Gregory Vlastos and Lawrence Kohlberg did -- namely, as someone who, like Kohlberg, thinks that arguments are all-sufficient. In this paper, though, Mason Marshall suggests that there is a danger of overcorrecting. He points to Plato's "Protagoras" as a case where, on the one hand, Socrates makes an attempt at rational persuasion, and on the other hand, he does so sensibly. Marshall contends that Socrates's strategy is worth considering for what it reveals about his approach to education and for how it might inform ours.
Descriptors: Educational Philosophy, Educational Theories, Educational Practices, Teaching Methods, Persuasive Discourse, Logical Thinking
Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: 1Religion and Philosophy Division, Pepperdine University