Great post. I myself assumed that Socrates’ questions were disingenuous and mocking. Most modern Westerners assume this, to the point where many call him a “comedian.”
But regardless of whether or not Plato found Socrates amusing, there is no consensus among classicists that Socrates’ questions were facetious. It is possible that Socrates was being straightforward and genuine in his questioning, and that we are projecting our own cultural assumptions upon the past.
Great post. I myself assumed that Socrates’ questions were disingenuous and mocking. Most modern Westerners assume this, to the point where many call him a “comedian.”
But regardless of whether or not Plato found Socrates amusing, there is no consensus among classicists that Socrates’ questions were facetious. It is possible that Socrates was being straightforward and genuine in his questioning, and that we are projecting our own cultural assumptions upon the past.