Socrates Mystagogos

<p>For Socrates, philosophy is not like Christian conversion from error to truth, but rather it is like the pagan process whereby a young man is initiated into cult mysteries by a more experienced man - the mystagogos - who prepares him and leads him to the sacred precinct. In Greek cult religion, the mystagogos prepared the initiate for the esoteric mysteries revealed by the hierophant. Socrates treats traditional wisdom with scepticism, and this makes him appear ridiculous or dangerous in the eyes of cultural conservatives. Nevertheless, his scepticism is not radical: custom is not something on which we must turn our backs if we are to pursue the truth. Socrates assumes an epistemology and employs a method by which he induces his companions to begin the critical and self-critical process of philosophical inquiry, not ignoring conventional wisdom, but thinking through and reinterpreting it as they make constructive progress towards the truth. He provides conclusive and convincing arguments in support of controversial answers to some of the most important moral questions he poses.</p> <p><em>Preface</em></p><p></p><p><em>Introduction</em></p><p>Chapter 1: Socratic Skepticism</p><p></p><p>Introduction</p><p></p><p>Section 1: Subversive and Unversive Transgression in Comedy</p><p></p><p>Section 2: Unversive Transgression in Greek Cult Festivals</p><p></p><p>Section 3: Aristophanic Conservatism, Socratic Liberalism</p><p></p><p>Section 4: The Causality of Humor</p><p></p><p>Section 5: Introducing Socrates Mystagogos</p><p></p><p>Conclusion</p><p>Chapter 2: Socratic Epistemology</p><p></p><p>Introduction</p><p></p><p>Section 1: "The Socratic Fallacy" Refuted</p><p></p><p>Section 2: "The Socratic Fallacy" Revived</p><p></p><p>Section 3: Socratic Dogmatism</p><p></p><p>Section 4: Socratic Refutation</p><p></p><p>Section 5: Socratic "Folk Epistemology"</p><p></p><p>Section 6: Refutation, Induction, and the Use of Examples</p><p></p><p>Section 7: "The Socratic Fallacy," Again</p><p></p><p>Conclusion</p><p>Chapter 3: Socratic Method</p><p></p><p>Introduction</p><p></p><p>Section 1: "The Problem" of the Socratic Method</p><p></p><p>Section 2: Why Socrates’ Refutations are Reasonable</p><p></p><p>Section 3: Interpretive Misconceptions</p><p></p><p>Section 4: What Guarantee does Socrates have that he is right?</p><p></p><p>Conclusion</p><p>Chapter 4: Socratic Piety</p><p></p><p>Introduction</p><p></p><p>Section 1: Socrates the Anti-Authoritarian?</p><p></p><p>Section 2: Two Theories of Civil Disobedience</p><p></p><p>Section 3: Politico-Epistemic Humility in the <i>Apology</i></p><p></p><p>Section 4: Politico-Epistemic Humility in the <i>Crito</i></p><p></p><p>Conclusion</p><p>Conclusion</p><p></p><p>Section 1: Socrates Mystagogos</p><p></p><p>Section 2: Socrates and Martin Luther King</p><p>List of References</p><p></p><p>General Index </p><p></p><p><em>Index Locorum</em></p>