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

144 THE POLITICAL SCIENCE REVIEWER
removed) for coming to "genuine agreement" with them, regarding
important matters, based on merely human wisdom. In the sixth
and last paragraph of this chapter, <strong>Strauss</strong> again speaks of Socrates'
knowledge of farming-its spurious as well as genuine elements.
<strong>Strauss</strong>'s treatment of the final chapter of the farming section,
Chapter XIX, consists of only two paragraphs. In the first, he mentions
"dialectics" for the first time in the discussion of this section:
"Socrates learns from Ischomachos's practice that teaching is questioning
and is thus brought on the way toward his discovery of
dialectics in the twofold meaning of the term" (194). <strong>Strauss</strong> had
said something very similar in the course of his discussion of Chapter
XVI: ". . . Socrates' later view of teaching and learning is the outcome
of his meditation on a thought first suggested to him by the
practice of the perfect gentleman par excellence" (184).1 8 In his
earlier remark however he did not mention "dialectics" , by name.
Apparently he wished to introduce "dialectics" as a theme of the farming
section not in the discussion of Chapter XVI but in that of
Chapter XIX. His combined discussion of the two intervening
chapters had emphasized Socrates' interest in theology (188, 192).
Theology is prominently mentioned in the discussion of Chapter XIX
too-in the second paragraph. After calling attention to the large
number of oaths in Chapter XIX as well as Chapter XII, <strong>Strauss</strong>
observes, " Just as Chapter XII is silent on piety, Chapter XIX is
silent on theology" (195). The silence on piety in Chapter XII was
remarkable because there was a reason to speak of piety there: piety
might have been thought to be an important ingredient of the
education of stewards, which was the topic under discussion (170).
But what reason was there to bring theology into Chapter XIX? It is
not sufficient to say that it had been brought into other chapters of
the farming section: it was not included in Chapter XVIII and that
absence occasioned no comment by <strong>Strauss</strong>. We suspect that what
makes the similar silence of Chapter XIX worth noting is that dialectics,
according to <strong>Strauss</strong>, has become a theme there. <strong>Strauss</strong>'s
remark on dialectics speaks of Socrates' discovery of dialectics "in
the twofold meaning of the term" (194). A footnote to this remark
refers us to Memorabilia IV.6.13-15, a passage which explains the
difference between Socratic conversations which lead toward the
18.-The earlier statement taken as a whole (see the last sentence on 184) is more obviously
hesitant about - assigning any responsibility for Socrates' discovery to
Ischomachos. Cf. however, the use of "Ischomachean" on 194 with its use on 150.