Alcibiades, a young man who wants to enter politics, enters a dialogue with Socrates about the qualities of a good political leader. While he believes that his education and experiential knowledge are enough to make him a good politician, Socrates proves to him that he needs to learn about the true meaning of abstract and controversial concepts, such as justice or goodness before being able to counsel others about it. In particular, Socrates shows young Alcibiades that he does not have self-knowledge and persuades Alcibiades that a man who wants to enter politics first needs sufficient self- knowledge in order to be able to advise others on difficult topics such as war and peace. Therefore, in Alcibiades I, Socrates argues that pursuing self-knowledge is important for anyone who tries to become a wise leader.
In order to demonstrate to Alcibiades the importance of self-knowledge, Socrates first refers to the concept of justice and to the fact that a person cannot understand it if he did not learn it from a master, or inquire into it, being aware of the fact that he did not know what justice is. However, Alcibiades did not know that he was ignorant regarding justice and consequently, he did not make an effort to discover what justice is. Socrates explained that people cannot learn about justice from their community, because people in the society are not good teachers in this matter, being themselves ignorant about justice, and about their own ignorance. Socrates shows that ‘the many’ are not good teachers of justice by asking Alcibiades, “hat if we wished to know not only what men were like or what horses were like, but which of them were good runners or not? Would the many still suffice to teach us this?” (Plato 11d). The character then shows that the members of the society are not good teachers in these matters, because they do not agree on these matters and they contradict one another regarding them. Socrates then is able to demonstrate that Alicibiades has no knowledge of justice because he did not learn it from knowledgeable teachers and he did not discover it by himself. Justice is a basic value that people should acquire for themselves, and their personal concept of justice should guide their decisions and actions throughout their lives. However, often, people’s concept of justice is confused or distorted because generally, people do not realize that they need to focus on understanding and forming a clear idea on what justice is and what it is not. This is even more important for politicians who want to guide other people.
Furthermore, under Socrates’s questioning, Alcibiades becomes confused about his own views regarding expedience, goodness and evil, which shows that he does not have a clear grasp about any of these important concepts, which govern politicians’ decisions regarding war and peace. Alcibiades admits, “I do not even know what I am saying, I feel altogether in such a strange state! For from moment to moment I change my view under your questioning“ (Plato 116e). This confession demonstrates that Alcibiades has no self- knowledge and no firm life principles and values, therefore being unable to govern other people. However, Socrates confesses that most people who govern the city find themselves in the same state of ignorance, which does not stop them from governing however.
Lastly, Socrates shows that, in order to gain self-knowledge, one must know his own soul. For this reason, Socrates explains that, in order to become educated enough to enter politics, one must first take care of his soul. Socrates shows that, “And if the soul too, my dear Alcibiades, is to know herself, she must surely look at a soul, and especially at that region of it in which occurs the virtue of a soul—wisdom, and at any other part of a soul which resembles this” (Plato133b). Therefore, Socrates argues that a person must look within his own soul, and within the souls of others for wisdom. This is because, a person who does not acquire wisdom this way cannot take care of his or others’ affairs, and cannot govern the affairs of other people, because he would make mistakes. Wisdom is closely related to virtue, because a wise person is able to know what virtue is, and can follow a virtuous path. He can rule over other people because he is able to show them the virtuous course of action (Plato134b).
Self-knowledge is important for Socrates because it leads to establishing clear principles and values, thus becoming wiser and able to give counsel to others. For Socrates, wisdom is closely related to virtue, because an ignorant person has no clear idea what justice is, and consequently, he is unable to lead a happy and virtuous life. Being virtuous is important in any aspect of life, and in any profession that a person might have, but it is particularly important for politicians because, in order to impart justice and virtue to others, they must first possess it and have a firm understanding of it. Self-discovery is a very difficult process and it is important to have a wise and loving teacher, whose only concern is the evolution of his pupil, because this person would care to know the pupil’s soul, and help him to acquire self-knowledge, instead of focusing on material or physical aspects, which can only lead to superficial results. However, self-knowledge is very difficult to acquire in a society which ignores the importance of this endeavor, and besides, it is much easier to take the wrong path and choose to be ignorant. Ultimately however, the benefits of self-knowledge, such as being a cherished and respected leader, instead of being hated for taking wrong decisions, are worth any effort.
Works Cited
Plato. Plato in Twelve Volumes, Vol. 8. Trans.W.R.M. Lamb. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. 1955. Web.
