Plato’s Protagoras (348(d)-end): In Virtue of What Does Good Outweigh Bad?

We will finish reading Plato’s Protagoras from 348(d), the point at which Socrates and the sophist Protagoras begin to address courage in the context of virtue. If virtue consists of parts, one of which is courage, how is it that courage is sometimes exercised foolishly? If by its definition virtue is only good, can one of its parts be both good and bad?
If virtue is teachable, which is the question debated by Socrates and Protagoras in Plato’s dialogue, then it would be the teacher’s responsibility to know where to draw the line between good and bad with courage and any of virtue’s other attributes. Socrates turns the matter into a discussion of pleasure and pain, which he generalizes to good and bad before introducing the idea of virtue as an exercise in weighing potential outcomes of our actions. “Within yourself, does the good outweigh the bad or not?” is a question that Socrates raises, and it’s one we might explore in our own discussion.
The answer would seem to require an ability to measure outcomes, and the limits of the thing we call “virtue”. For Protagoras, who holds that “man is the measure of things,” the limits of virtue are subject to knowledge and are therefore teachable. But for Socrates, who in the Meno held that all knowledge is recollection, the origin of what we think we know as virtue cannot be recalled, and other factors like shame and justice could play a role in virtuous behaviour. Is either of them right, and what are our own conclusions about virtue? Maybe, as some proposed in our previous two discussions on the Protagoras, virtue is not an absolute good but a range of goodness from lesser to greater, or maybe virtue is variable over time according to social norms? Could virtue defy any definition?
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Our discussion will be recorded in voice only without video, using first name as it appears on your screen profile, and broadcast on the “Plato’s Pod” Podcast for those who would like to share in our knowledge. We can go anywhere the group wishes, for which some suggested themes will be offered. Wherever our discussion leads, Plato, without a doubt, would have imagined no better way than in dialogue for knowledge – the account of the reasons why – to multiply its connections. We welcome the sharing of all perspectives, whether you are new to or experienced with Plato. Recordings of previous episodes of the Plato’s Pod podcast are at https://open.spotify.com/show/53Zvjr7avMylQgNqfqBxlk?si=7b50d100bfc4474d and other podcast platforms.
After the podcast recording ends in two hours, participants are welcome to remain for “Plato’s Café”, a casual half-hour discussion of your choice of themes from any of Plato’s works, or philosophy in general.
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FRIDAY BEFORE THE MEETUP: We will post selections from the reading for discussion on a shared drive for participants at https://1drv.ms/u/s!AqvPwkIofv4UaFldrPpbva3VSXI?e=3Y7PjP, where you can also find topics explored in our previous meetups. Our meetings will generally be scheduled every two weeks on Sunday at 2 p.m. eastern. During our dialogue, participants are encouraged to relate their comments to Plato's text, referring to the Stephanus number for the passage so others can follow in the reading. Participants are also encouraged to read the text aloud for the meaning of the written word to resonate.
There are many translations of Plato's works available, of varying quality. Your public library will have multiple editions. A free translation of the Protagoras is available at https://gutenberg.org/cache/epub/1591/pg1591-images.html. Participants in our entire series might be interested in purchasing Plato: Complete Works (https://www.amazon.ca/Plato-Complete-Works/dp/0872203492/).
The Meetup will take place on Zoom. Please RSVP to access the Zoom link at your Meetup account.