Socrates the Foreigner?

Abstract

This chapter investigates why Socrates, an Athenian, presents himself as a foreigner in the Phaedrus. It argues that Socrates’ puzzling presentation of himself as a foreigner helps his interlocutor Phaedrus become more aware of how engagement with foreigners can help us see ourselves in a different light, making the familiar seem strange. By then mirroring Phaedrus’ reaction to the speech of the foreigner Lysias, Socrates helps Phaedrus see the tension implanted in him through his Athenian upbringing to, on the one hand, admire and learn from foreigners and, on the other, to dominate and steal from them. The dialogue’s critique of Athenian imperialism helps to explain why the dialogue ends with an Egyptian myth that critiques the art of writing. Plato’s engagement with this foreign discourse reveals that, like his teacher Socrates as portrayed in the dialogues, he takes seriously the provocation to self-examination that can arise from cross-cultural engagement.