Clitophon
Clitophon praises Socrates for awakening a desire for justice but complains that exhortation never supplies the knowledge needed to practise it. He asks whether Socratic questioning is a complete education or only a powerful beginning.
Understanding the text
The short text’s authenticity is disputed. Socrates offers no concluding reply, leaving readers to assess a criticism that also resonates with the opening of the Republic.
Key points
- 01
Exhortation and instruction
Persuading someone to care about virtue differs from explaining what virtue is and how a learner can acquire it.
- 02
Justice’s product
Comparisons with medicine and carpentry ask what distinctive result justice produces beyond vague references to concord or friendship.
- 03
The silent teacher
Socrates’ lack of response creates uncertainty about whether the critique succeeds, misunderstands his method or invites another dialogue to answer.
How to read it
Read alongside Republic I and ask which complaints recur. Resist inventing a missing Socratic answer: the unresolved ending is part of the work’s transmitted form.
Editions & sources
Summaries and key points are original editorial interpretations. They accompany reading the work and do not replace an edition of the text. Editorial method ↗