Corrupting the Youth: Xenophon and Plato on Socrates and Alcibiades

Abstract

Socrates’ students, who are attracted by the philosophic life, offer starkly different portraits of Alcibiades, the most illustrious among Socrates’ students who chose a political life. Their presentations diverge particularly on the nature of Alcibiades’ relationship with his teacher. This article argues that Xenophon and Plato’s contrasting presentations of Alcibiades shed light on their own disagreement on the proper relationship between philosophy and political life.