Index IntroductionSocrates and the sophists: summaryConclusionIntroductionSocrates is known as one of the first philosophers of Western philosophy to dedicate his life to the study of human nature. Furthermore, he believes that humans are rational and that pursuing the truth is the most rational thing humans can do to truly live as humans and take care of their souls. The similarities and differences between many types of new educators who appeared in 5th century Athens, especially between Socrates and Sophists, are a huge topic even today. It also leads to the indistinguishability of the citizens of ancient Athens between him and the sophists, which ultimately causes the death of Socrates. Accordingly, a comparison of similarities and differences between Socrates and Sophists will be discussed in this essay in order to further understand their different approaches and purposes towards human excellence. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get Original EssaySocrates and the Sophists: SummaryIn general, Socrates and the Sophists are often wrong because they both talk about human issues and arete, also known as virtue or excellence of humanity. They also use rhetoric, “the art of communication and argument, in the technique of persuasion” when discussing these topics. However, Socrates and Sophists have different goals and advantages. For the sophists, they teach their students the skills of speaking and persuasion for victory. Sophists believe that persuasion is the basis of strong debate to defeat one's opponents. They would use words as weapons and strategies to make their speeches stronger. Perhaps this is one of the main reasons why people see that “sophists aim at victory, not at truth” (Melchert 95, ed. 8). In contrast, Socrates uses rhetoric to reach the truth when speaking to other people, not “to defeat his opponent but to advance towards the truth” (Melchert 95, ed. 8). Furthermore, he states that if people treat conversations like debates or battles and try to prevail in an argument, they will not learn anything new. He wants to have a new perspective on human affairs to discover their ultimate truth. This is why Socrates prefers to question and listen to people to make them really think about what they are saying. Therefore, Socrates' and the sophists' goals in using rhetoric will lead to different goals, as the sophists' goal is for their own gain, while Socrates' is for people's goods and souls. Another aspect to discover concerns teaching. This is also one of the biggest points that make Athenian citizens confused between Socrates and the sophists. In The Clouds of Aristophanes, he tries to distinguish between traditional and new education and criticizes the new education as a danger to the morality and culture of Athens (Mintz 736). According to Mintz, Aristophanes not only addresses Socrates as “the chief representative of this new education,” but also says that Socrates “has a school and students who pay taxes.” However, Plato's Socrates denies himself as a teacher, which is different from Aristophanes' version. Plato's Socrates describes himself as "a 'midwife' in the realm of thought" and also as "a gadfly of Athens." Plato's description of Socrates illustrates that he is not a teacher because he does not know much, if anything, about human excellence. Rather than teaching someone and actually providing the truth, it is more likely to extract the information or knowledge that people already have and connect them altogether. Consequently, everything people know comes from themselves through a conversation with Socrates. On the other hand, sophists consider themselves teachers of some subjects such as geometry,philosophy and rhetoric. They even claim to have something to educate others with, especially their students. Let's talk about this teaching, payment or tuition fee also indicates the difference between Plato's Socrates and the Sophists. As already known, sophists teach their youth, or students, to use rhetoric for debate and achieve victory in any conversation or argument. To them, these skills are strategies for someone who wants to get into a verbal confrontation. Thus, their goals are to gain “fame, wealth, and the satisfaction of [their] desires” through teaching (Melchert 97). From the point of view of the sophists, good is everything that is good only for themselves, which is known as the law of self-preservation, to live as comfortably and luxuriously as possible. In contrast, Socrates does not receive money because he does not desire material and physical things. For Socrates, nothing is more precious than making true friends and leading them to the truth. Furthermore, he truly thinks that everything people understand and realize comes from themselves when they have conversations and arguments with Socrates. This can be understood that he does not teach anything to anyone, therefore he does not receive any payment. Another reason why Socrates does not receive payment concerns his freedom of choice. According to Blank, Xenophon's Socrates places emphasis on the fact that he does not have to engage in conversation if he does not want to. In other words, Socrates cannot cancel the course or abandon his instructions once payment has been made. After the payment, Plato's Socrates and the Sophists have a huge difference in their beliefs. Sophists tend to believe in skepticism, maintaining doubt about whether truth exists or not, and relativism, considering that knowledge and truth are relative in various contexts. They have a strong faith that the truth is contained and changing. They argue that the truth for someone may not be the truth for another because of the difference “from culture to culture, from time to time, and even from individual to individual” (Melchert 62). For example, people may not have the same thoughts about whether or not other creatures exist outside of Earth, or even the solar system. According to Melchert, rather than a truth, the sophists seem to rely more on humanity itself as the "measure", the sole standard of how things are. Furthermore, they have a skeptical point of view regarding the truth. In this particular area, Melchert suggests that the theories of many natural philosophers represent probabilities, not the truth, however, towards which humanity can best aim. On the other hand, Socrates believes in absolute truth. It states that humans are rational and that pursuing truth is the most rational thing humans can do to enrich their souls. For Socrates, human beings should live according to their nature, which is self-reflection, truth, knowledge and wisdom. Not only do people discover the truth, but they must also appreciate it since it is the goal of their life. Although Socrates has faith in absolute truth, he has not yet found it. As a result, Socrates starts a conversation and asks people questions to get many perspectives and initiate logical thinking to seek the truth. The final difference between Socrates and the sophists is nomadism versus loyalty to Athens. Since people know that sophists teach for a fee and reputation, they tend to travel from place to place, pass on knowledge to many students, and try to earn more money and wealth for their own satisfaction. Socrates, on the other hand, is more traditional. He wants to stay in Athens and dedicate his life and knowledge, as well as give back to his community, which allows him to think and become a philosopher as he is. Please note: this is just one.