Principles of the Socratic-Platonic Theory of Education in Protagoras

The present essay is a study and an analysis of important theoretical principles that we might find in Protagoras. Subject of this dialogue are moral virtues: their unity/plurality and teachebility or unteachebility. Virtues generally are wisdom, justice, piety, temperance and courage. Reading Protagoras and studying its parts with some points taken from other dialogue Meno, can light on the former; because Meno’s theory of anamnesis (teaching or knowledge is recollection) as a perspective describes the meaning of to teach or teaching (Meno, 79-80). Protagoras wanting this meaning and only takes teaching as a transition of arts and virtues from the elder to the young. Our disscution of Socrates and Protagoras's ideas on education is not only based on their differences and contrarieties but also on their similarities and intractions: coversations that are going between the philosopher and the sophist depict a relative convergence of their opinions on the education of the young. Symbol of the mentioned convergence is the principal view that emerges at the end of Protagoras; Socrates suppose and say we (I and Protagoras) must revise our opinions until arrive at a consequence on the teachebility or unteachebility of the virtues: if virtue is knowledge (wisdom), then it is teachable. (Protagoras, 361a-c). This result is at the same time repeated in Meno (87) and is one of theoretical principles.