Cicero Vs Socrates Essay, Research Paper
Socrates and Marcus Tullius Cicero were both two great philosophers of their time. They both had great intellectual and highly philosophical ideas on many things, but the complexity of their ideas do not generally agree each others. One reason why there may be a distinct difference in belief is simply because Cicero was a Greek and Socrates was a Roman men. They also lived in different times, Socrates being born in 470 BC, and Cicero in 106 BC. Such differences between the two philosophers makes it a difficult task to compare the two great minds, but some basic structures of their beliefs may provide a good grounding for some kind of comparison.
Cicero and Socrates were both Sophists. Sophists were highly intellectual people who had philosophical religious beliefs and were often paid to teach others using rhetorical methods of teaching effectively and persuasively. They greatly consisted of philosophers, speakers, and teachers, all paid to teach people what they knew. Although they both were Sophists, they still had different ways of teaching, and yet many different ideas.
One of the more obvious differences between Cicero and Socrates were the way they delivered their teachings. Unlike Cicero, Socrates would not provide positive support toward his audience. Socrates tended to show his audience that they are confused about their their moral beliefs. Socrates would then use their confusion to his advantage and further question their morals to indirectly prove his beliefs. Socrates would continue to manipulate his audience until the point they are so confused that they would fall into the arms of Socrates beliefs in hopes of reformation, or they would become too skeptical and would relentlessly deny his theories.
Although Socrates’s methods of teachings did work somewhat effectively, Cicero thought that Socrates, and the whole Greek culture, had a very exhausted method of informing others of their beliefs and pursuing the truth. Cicero’s ideas usually worked as whole instead of relying on individual aspects of the theory to make them believable. Socrates also emphasized the philosophical aspect of his teachings while Cicero would like to concentrate more on the rhetorical aspects of his. However, he would use philosophy to present his ideas, but it was the rhetorical persuasion that made his ideas believable and usable. Although in his teachings it did not seem like Cicero was a big believer in philosophy; but he was. He believed that philosophy and rhetorics worked together and that one could not strive without the other.
Despite a few differences, Cicero and Socrates are both known best for one thing; they are smart, intellectual, brilliant philosophers. The way the present their information may vary from one another’s, but they both served for the same purpose; to deliver the teachings of Sophism. These two philosophers were amongst the best of their time, and will definitely be remembered for ages to come.