Sophists attacked Socrates after his execution. To Plato, this meant war.
Socratic dialogues, ethical concepts, and allocation versus reallocation—the Intermountain Philosophy Conference covered dozens of philosophical topics from professors all over Utah during their annual gathering. On March 29, 2024, emeritus professor of philosophy Dan Graham opened this year’s conference with his keynote address titled “This Means War! Plato’s Second Defense of Socrates.” In it, he discussed how Plato’s Gorgias differed from other Socratic dialogues and what it revealed about Socrates’s final trial.
In the Gorgias, Plato writes a narrative about Socrates debating sophists—a group of philosophers focused on rhetoric—about the meaning of rhetoric and persuasion in the educational and political scene in Athens. Graham compared Plato’s Gorgias and Socratic dialogues, saying, “Although universally classified as an early or Socratic dialogue, it seems to break all the rules. It examines no definition of virtue. It’s too long winded, too constructive, too preachy.” Because of this difference, Graham asked a question: why did the Gorgias go beyond the usual structure of the Socratic dialogue?
Plato wrote the Gorgias as an ongoing defense of Socrates against the sophists. Because of their unrelenting attacks on his mentor, Plato’s tone sounds angrier and less playful—a marked departure from other Socratic dialogues—which shows us how deeply personal this defense has become for him.
Graham also discussed how Gorgias revealed more about the educational and political landscape of Athens leading up to and following Socrates’s execution. Graham said that Socrates believed “the point of political and social science is not to win elections, but to make people better citizens”—something that conflicted with the belief of sophists. So, when ancient Greek jurors agreed to execute Socrates, they made a political statement siding with the sophists—although history ultimately sided with the Socratics.
As Graham explained, Plato’s thorough and emotional defense of Socrates provided a persuasive argument for the Socratic traditions, effectively shaping the study of philosophy. Graham said, “People in the Socratic tradition came to be known as philosophers. People in the rhetorical became sophists.” With Plato’s plainly stated arguments in the Gorgias, he helped shape Socrates’s legacy by revealing more explicit details about his execution and the political and educational landscape in Athens.
The Intermountain Philosophy Conference gave philosophy professors from universities in the intermountain area the chance to learn from each other’s research and engage in philosophical debate and conversation. Other BYU presenters at the Intermountain Philosophy Conference included
Assistant Professor Derek Haderlie (Metaethics, Metaphysics), “Thick and Thin Ethical Concepts”
Assistant Professor Angela Wentz Faulconer (Moral and Political Philosophy), “Bringing Aid versus Doing Harm: Allocation versus Reallocation in Contexts of Scarcity”
Associate Chair Travis Anderson (Phenomenology), “Kant’s Contribution to Affect Theory”
Assistant Professor Nate Rockwood (Early Modern Philosophy), “Locke on Scientific Knowledge”
Read more about Graham’s research on Plato and Socrates.
Visit the Philosophy Department’s website for more information about the major, minor, and events.