Strauss on Xenophon's Socrates Xenophon's Socratic Discourse: An ...

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108 THE POLITICAL SCIENCE REVIEWER increase his possessions" (102-103). Socrates must then, if he possesses no income-producing possessions, "be a parasite, a beggar-in a word, an unjust man" (104). But "Socrates was in truth of course not unjust but thoroughly just . . ." (104; cf. 102). The view that Socrates was a beggar or parasite and hence unjust is (at least potentially) the view of the gentleman like Ischomachos, an ultimately untrue view (104-105). Socrates had to conceal the truth about his way of life (cf. 110) no doubt because of how that truth would be interpreted by the gentlemen "in the common meaning of the term," the moral and civic-minded men. This introduction to the treatment of the contrast or conflict between Socrates and the gentleman (whether the actual gentleman Ischomachos, here named for the first time, or the would-be gentleman Kritoboulos) is probably the most important task which <strong>Strauss</strong> set for this chapter. It would be difficult to imagine a more fundamental issue than this, concerning as it does the point of view from which all of life, including economics, is to be understood. For just as Socrates appears in a certin light when looked at from the point of view of a gentleman, so can the gentleman be looked at from Socrates' point of view. From that point of view, the gentleman's need for increase of wealth (cf. Oeconomicus XI.8 and VII.15)"bespeaks a defect" (101-102). Even more important, from Socrates ' point of view, <strong>Strauss</strong> implies, the gentleman's freedom from what <strong>Strauss</strong> calls "prejudices" comes to light as less than complete. 5 It appears that Socrates' justice-referred to by <strong>Strauss</strong> for the first time in the commentary proper on 102-went together with freedom from "prejudices," while the justice of the gentleman did not. This makes us all the more eager to understand Socrates' justice. What was it that it could come to sight, or permit Socrates to come to sight, as "transcending justice" in the manner indicated in the first two chapters, or how is it related to justice as commonly understood? On Chapter Three In his discussion of Chapter III, <strong>Strauss</strong> no longer speaks explicitly 5. Cf. 102-which refers to 98-with what is suggested by Socrates' attitude toward sacrifices (102). Kritoboulos's frivolity (102), or his sharing to some extent in Socrates' frivolity, was no doubt one of the reasons why Socrates found his company pleasant (cf. 109 and also Socrates' comments about Hermongenes in Symposium 6.1-4 and 4.46-50).
STRAUSS ON XENOPHON 109 of Socrates' justice or transcendence of justice; but the title which he gives to his discussion ("Socrates' promises"), alone, would show that this question is not forgotten. Socrates' willingness to help Kritoboulos out of the economic difficulties which he had called to Kritoboulos's attention had yielded no more, in Chapter II at least, or had been limited to the promise to show Kritoboulos "the best masters of the economic art, so that he could learn from them" (107). In his discussion of Chapter III, <strong>Strauss</strong> stresses Socrates' clarification so to speak, not to say quasi-abandonment, of this promise: . Socrates renders his promise more precise by speaking of some of the parts of the economic art (107); He will, then, not simply take Kritoboulos to the masters . but will make him discover those masters by himself; or, more cautiously, he will show him both the masters and the bunglers (108); In the literal sense of the word, Socrates does not `take' Kritoboulos anywhere in the Oeconomicus (108). This may mean, <strong>Strauss</strong> suggests, that "the present conversation of Socrates with Kritoboulos is only the first stage in Kritoboulos's learning under Socrates' guidance the complete art of household management," i.e., that Socrates took Kritoboulos to the masters (and bunglers) later on (108-109). But <strong>Strauss</strong> continues, "It is almost equally possible . . . that Kritoboulos's learning of the art is completed in the , present conversation . . ." (109); "surely not all promises [made by Socrates to Kritoboulos in Chapter III] are kept in the Oeconomicus" (111); as to the promise to introduce Kritoboulos to Aspasia, "This promise at any rate is not kept in the Oeconomicus; we are permitted to wonder whether it was kept at all" (111). <strong>Strauss</strong> also brings out and reflects here on another fact relevant to the evaluation of Socrates' dealing with Kritoboulos: his willingness to be persuaded by Kritoboulos to join him in going to look at comedies, the very activity which he himself singles out as keeping Kritoboulos from more urgent things. "We might feel that Socrates, who knows all the time that Kritoboulos neglected his duties, should never have given in to Kritoboulos's importunities. But perhaps he indulged Kritoboulos's wish in order to gain his confidence or his affection and thus increase the likelihood that the young man would
Page 1 and 2: Strauss on Xenopho
Page 3 and 4: STRAUSSON XENOPHON 101 dary one fro
Page 5 and 6: STRAUSS ON XENOPHON 103 On the Titl
Page 7 and 8: STRAUSS ON XENOPHON 105 The reflect
Page 9: STRAUSS ON XENOPHON prehensive and
Page 13 and 14: STRAUSS ON XENOPHON 111 portant and
Page 15 and 16: STRAUSS ON XENOPHON 113 not equally
Page 17 and 18: STRAUSS ON XENOPHON 115 "the noble"
Page 19 and 20: STRAUSS ON XENOPHON Strauss
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Page 33 and 34: STRAUSS ON XENOPHON "Ischomachos's
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Strauss on Xenophon's Socrates Xenophon's Socratic Discourse: An ...

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