Protagoras

The central question of protagoras is: Can virtue be taught?

In one corner there is Protagoras, a sophist, Who believes that proper education is a prerequisite for producing good citizens. This belief assumes that if someone were to teach what is right, then inevitably the student will do what they are taught. However, people don't necessarily do what they are taught; people do what they believe.

For Socrates virtue is the same as knowledge. Learning how to be virtuous means learning a specific type of knowledge or science. For example, learning to be courageous is learning what to fear. Evil is knowing the ignorance of knowing how to act virtuously in a particular form.

Traditionally I have more or less agreed with protagoras. I equate it to basketball. If you aren't properly educated on the rules of basketball, it is exponentially difficult to to play, even though this ignorant player might score a basket without realizing they have done what they have supposed to do. However socrates is kind of challenging my belief that wisdom and virtue are divisible. I need a little more time to think.


Zip it up and zip it out y'all.