2L the Case Against Teaching Virtue for Pay Geoff Boute
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in The Sophists, ed. P.F. O’Grady (Duckworth, 2008) 21. The Caseagairust Teach.ing Virtue for pay purview of relativistic sophistry wherein virtue ought to be concervedas somethingartificial and subjective(a nomos).My stfigestion r. tt ut some_ thing natural 2l needstc.be acquiredorganicalv u"a'o"".; i;"g period time' whereas of somethingartificial might be constructe* ana conveyed much more easily.If the sophist seesviitue as artificial, he alsosees it as The Case against Teaching Virtue for Pay freely.and quickly distributabre for a fee. Finaily, I want to suggestthat there is a deeperphilosophicar argument that slggests,in a-way that GeoffBoute consistent is if not commensuratewith the foregoin!'corrrid"rutio.r.r,p..di- lections and prejudices, that forced attempts to suppry rhetorical skills to those not naturally disposeclto virtue, is seenby plato and lsocrates One point that scholars unfailingly make in talking about the sophists is have to monstrous results, resurts that harm both pupil and that they took pay for instruction.' Plato himself refers to the earnings of' sophistic teacheralike. The sophistwho must sacrificehis freeiom the sophists no less than thirty-one times (Harrison 1964, Ly accepting 191n.44). whoeverpays the fee also sacrificeshis soul. Xenophon and Aristotle also make frequent reference to the fact that tho sophists take pay. At his trial and elsewhere in Plato and Xenophon, it is emphasised that Socrates did not, and it would seem that the practice of' Culture, context and citizenship taking pay for teaching is regarded with a disdain meant to separate Somescholars have suggestedthat the invidiousremarks aboutteaching Socrates from the sophists. This is significant, for one may weII questiolr pay do not represent a successfulcritique of the .dh^; (see precisely how Socrates differs from the sophists, especially when we recall lor c)orey 2002). while such defencesmay serve to exculpate t"u"rri"g that both the sophists and Socrates are interested in questions of virtr-re. io. puy i., somecontexts, I think that they do not adequatelyaddress the"philosophi_ both have youthful followers, and that Socrates was tried and executed on cal opposition to the practice of sophistry in the ancient Greek charges that certainly associated him with the practice of sophistry. context. one of the things that I have in mind hereis Xenophon's,"po.ior Is there anything more to sophistry than merely teaching for pay? Long ^ socrates, claim that teaching for pay imposedupon one,sfreedom: ago the utilitarian philosopher Henry Sidgwick asked of the sophists most familiar to us from Plato: Nor again, did [Socrates]encourage love of money in his companions.For while he checkedtheir other desires,he would not make -o""f t i-""rr u.,t What is the commoncharacteristic of these persons,as presentedby Plato? of their desire for his companionship.He herd that this serfienying. orar- -besidesthat ofreceivingpay, which must surelybe consideredan accident nance insured his liberty. Those who charged a fee for their society he rather than a property of any classof teachers(Sidgwick \872,294). denounced for selling themselvesinto bondage;since they were bound to converse with all from whom they took the fee. He ma.veiled that anyone Despite the obvious motivation of people like Plato and Xenophon tcr gnoyla make money by the professionof virtue, and shourdnot reilect that his establish a distinction between Socrates and the sophists, the question highest reward would be the gain of a goodfriend (Xenophon, Memora 'what, remains: philosophicalLy, is wrong with the practice of teaching bilia L2.5-7). for pay?' what I take ,sel-ling In this chapter I will focus on several factors that have contributed tcr to be the philosophical import of the sophists them- selves-into the pejorative light that has been cast upon the sophists' practice of bondage' will be the focus oi th" last pari of this chapter, but initially, teaching for pay. These factors include certain cultural and contextual and in order to make sense of the contexlual implications of this remark, some prejudices regarding wage earning and citizenship, as well as moralistic background work is necessary. We may bfgin with a pas_ s_agethat arguments that levy the charge of charlatanism against the sophists. This overlaps to some degree with the one just quoted.In what follows Xenophon tells charge of charlatanism relies heavily on the claim that the sophists of Socrates' rejoinder to the sophist a.rlipnorr'" scoffing criticism that attempt to teach something that cannot be taught, namely virtue, but it is socrates does not take pay. socrat""' .""fi.rre bears out important to see why and in what context virtue is thought not to be several relevant cultural attitudes: teachable in the manner of the sophists; this context ultimately amounts Antiphon, to the philosophical systems of Plato and Aristotle, whereby virtue is seen it is commonopinion among us in regardto beautyand wisdom that there is as something natural and objective (a physi.s) and hence outside the an honourableand a shamefurway of bestowingthem. For to offer one's bcauty for moneyto all comersis calledprostitutio;; but we think 226 227 GeoffBoute 21. The Case against Teaching Virtu,efor pay virtr,rouslo becomefriendly with a lover who is kuown lo be a tttatt of it thing that one would charge for, instead of being obligated to distribute is it with wisdom. Thosewho offer it to ali comersfor mouey are honour. So freely as a well-meaning citizen, must have been highly problematic known as sophists,prostitutors of wisdom,but we think that he who makes to Socrates. one suspects that there is a significant rhetorical move a friend of one whom he knows to be gifted by nature. and teacheshim ail being made here by stating the home states of these famous the goodlre can, fulfils the duty of a citizenand a gentlerllan... (Memorabili,a sophists. They are not Athenian citizens, 1.6.13). and as sr.rchhave neither the same investment in nor obligation to Athenian citizens as Socrat.eshas. Soclates'own refusal to leave his prison cell to - It is important to remember that Athenians of the late fifth and early roister up in Thessaly as he puts it tn crito - shows his deep respect for his fourth centuries did calry a prejudice against wage-earning in general, Athenian citizenship; he will not prostitute himself by living out his and as such the sophist would immediately be regarded with some disdain remaining days in a foreign land (plato, crtto 53d-54a).when, at his trial, as a wage-earner. The words of Gomperz are appropriate here: socrates asks Meretus who it is that instructs the young in virtue. one must assume that Meletus'answer is the one that Soclates The Greekview of life was at timesaristocratic. Their respectfor wage-earn- expects. and most likely agrees with: ing stoodeven lower than in other slave-owningcomntunities ... An especial reproachattached to the employmentof intellectual labour for the benefit of Tell me, my goodsir, who improvesour youngmen? - The laws. That someonewho paid for it; this was regarded as degradation. as a yoke of is not what I am asking,but what personwho has knowledgeof the laws to begin - jurl'men, servitudethat was voluntarily assumed(Gomperz 1901, 417). with? These Socrates. How do you meanMeietus? Are tl.reseable to educatethe youngand inprove 'a them?- Ce.rtninly. quite regarding yoke of Now it is likelv that Gomperz's observation All of them, or somebut not others?- All of then.r. verl' servitude that was voluntarily assulned' finds its impetus in the very good,by Helrl. You mention a great abundanceof benefactors.But what evidence that Xenophon here and elsewhere provides us with, that Socra- about the audience?Do they improve the young or not? - They do too. tes criticised the sophists as selling their freedom mLrch like a prostitute. What aboutthe membersof Council?- The Councillors.also. This however has the ring of sneer more than philosophical argument. But NIeietus,what about the assernbly?Do the rnembersof therassemblv corrupt the or do they - What I want to suggest later is that there is a deeper implicit philosophical ;.oung, all improve thern? They impi.ovethem. All the Athenians,it seems,make the younginto fine good*url ... orientation and rationale at work in Xenophon's observations, one that (Plato,Apology 24e-25a) takes on an important philosophical significance in light of the ethical approaches of Plato and Socrates. Before that, however, it is useful to The answers that Socrates expects and elicits imply that good citizens reflect a little more carefully on the last part of the Xenophon passage 'we imprclve the youth. Socrates is a citizen, not an itinerant for.eignerwho quoted above: think that he who makes a friend of one whom he knows takes money for teaching. At the same tirne we cannot ignore Socrates' to be gifted by nature, and teaches him all the good he can, fulfils the dutl' frequent critiques of Athens in the Apologj, and elsewhere despite his of a citizen and a gentleman ....' remarks in the same text as an appeal to the virtues of citizenship. In the The sophists, for the most part, were itinerant teachers - foreigners - same vain, despite his remarks on obligation to the laws of Athens in crllo, who did not hold citizenship in the cities where they taught. Xenophon's there is no doubt that Socrateswas as much a critic of Athens as plato was. comment about citizenship is borne out by the subtext of Socrates'relnalk Yet we must remember that while Plato may have been highly critical of in the Apology that young men will of their own choice ignore the free Athens and all of her institutions,' the fact remains that the rleepcultural company of their own citizens in order to interact with sophists: connections between virtue and citizenship are pointedly made by setting aside discussionswith foreigners in Book lof the Repubiicto set tie quesi Yet I think it is a fine thing to be able to teach peopleas Gorgiasof Leontini for justice on a new course with Plato's Athenian brothers, Glaucon and does,and Prodicusof Ceos,and Hippiasof Elis.