Sophia, Eutuchia and Eudaimonia in the Euthydemus

Don Adams

doi:10.1515/apeiron-2013-0019

Article

Sophia, Eutuchia and Eudaimonia in the Euthydemus

Don Adams

Published/Copyright: January 15, 2014

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From the journal Apeiron Volume 47 Issue 1

Abstract

In the Euthydemus, Socrates argues that one needs no more eutuchia than sophia. He then goes on to argue that sophia is the one and only thing that is agathon. These arguments are much maligned. In this paper I defend Socrates. First, he did not express himself badly, he means the extreme claims he states. Second, his arguments are valid and rely on premises that any reasonable person in his cultural context would have accepted: as usual, he relies on common sense to call common sense into question. Third, Socrates relies on the “romance of competence” to prove soundly that sophia guarantees eutuchia. Finally, Socrates makes a good case for his claim that sophia is the only agathon, and in doing so argues against a kind of “commodity fetishism,” but his argument relies on one false assumption.

Keywords: Socrates; Plato; sophia; eutuchia; eudaimonia

Published Online: 2014-01-15

Published in Print: 2014-01

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Articles in the same Issue

https://doi.org/10.1515/apeiron-2013-0019

Keywords for this article

Socrates; Plato; sophia; eutuchia; eudaimonia