Protagoras

Why does Protagoras claim he is unique amongst sophists? How does this preface the central theme of the dialogue?

Analyze Protagoras’s creation myth, especially the involvement of Zeus in the institution of human society. Why does Protagoras tell this story? What end does it serve? Is it convincing? Why or why not?

How does Protagoras argue that virtue, especially in civic life, is teachable? Is this convincing? How does it address Socrates’s question concerning democratic demonstration in political life?

How does Socrates try to prove that a lack of “good sense” is the opposite of both moderation and wisdom? What does this mean about the nature of moderation and wisdom? What does it imply for the question concerning the unity of virtue?

In the middle of the dialogue, the interlocutors debate the best way to conduct the remainder of the philosophical discussion. How do they attempt a compromise between the elegant speeches of Protagoras and the question-and-answer sessions of Socrates? What is the philosophical importance of choosing a proper method of inquiry?

What is the fundamental disagreement between Protagoras and Socrates on Simonides’s verses? How do you interpret these verses and their relationship to the dialogue? Whose interpretation is more convincing? Why?

Socrates believes, and claims that all wise men agree, that people do evil and shameful things only unwillingly. What are his reasons for believing this? Do you agree? What implications does this view have on education and the value of civic education?

Protagoras concedes to Socrates that four (of five) cardinal virtues form a single unitary whole, but the fifth—courage—is an outlier. What are his reasons for claiming this? How does Socrates challenge this view? Whose case is more coherent? Why?