Political psychology in Plato’s Alcibiades I

Abstract

The following essay presents a close reading of the Platonic dialogue Alcibiades I. In the text, Socrates is depicted as a young teacher approaching young Alcibiades, a future prominent and hubristic ruler of post-Periclean democratic Athens. In his propadeutic task, Socrates appeals to Alcibiades’ unlimited self-love in order to gain his confdence and attention, rousing his spirited ambition and keen intellect, trying to tempt him into becoming a philosopher. We explore the roots of Alcibiades’ character, his desire for primacy intermingled with his fear of failure. For motives that will be explored in this essay, the mayeutic education of Alcibiades towards the life of wisdom not only failed, but also had undesired political outcomes. Would a more powerful Socrates have been able to procure Alcibiades’ ultimate allegiance? The Alcibiades I sheds light on the roots and potential limitations of the study of Platonic political philosophy.