Phaedrus

Does Socrates’s use of myths and fables make his arguments more compelling? Are they meant to be seen more as entertainment? Support your reasoning by contrasting his first speech with one of his later speeches.

How would you characterize Socrates’s description of his “scientific” method? Does it come from a genuine desire for clarity and knowledge, or is it simply a way of praising his own reasoning while invalidating that of Lysias and others?

How does the discussion of rhetoric and writing in the second half of the dialogue relate to the discussion of love in the first half? Why did Plato choose to treat both of these subjects in the same dialogue?

Write a response to Lysias’s speech as read by Phaedrus. If you agree, what additional arguments can you think of in favor of the “non-lover?” If you disagree, what additional objections can you think of besides those raised by Socrates in the dialogue?

Does Lysias deserve all the criticism directed at him by Socrates? What, if any, are the strengths of his speech as read by Phaedrus?

Is Socrates’s second speech an improvement on Lysias’s original speech? Why or why not?

Contrast Socrates’s negative opinion on the written word with Plato’s decision to commit this dialogue to writing. If, according to Socrates, writing is meant for the less articulate and less intelligent, and ought to be a last resort, what does that imply about the entire dialogue as a written text?

Discuss the role of the natural world in the dialogue. Socrates says that he has nothing to learn from the fields and trees—is this true? What are the implications of this attitude for the myths and fables he tells?