Socrates a Sophist? or Just Sophisticated?

Philosophy

Socrates a sophist? Or just sophisticated?

Plato goes a long way in attempting to distinguish Socrates from the likes of Protagoras, a self admitted sophist. In Protagoras, Socrates is depicted as a street smart, wisdom dispensing young man, brash with confidence and a bit of arrogance that goes a long way when confronted with the old school rhetoric of Protagoras. Plato begins to separate the two at the hip right from the get go. The dialogue between Socrates and his inquisitive friend Hippocrates went a long way to show that Socrates had more questions than answers about Protagoras, the sophist, especially when it came to talk about what it is exactly that he offers. Socrates' companion is eager to hear the words of Protagoras and become one of his pupils, for he thinks that there is much to be learned from him and he is willing to sacrifice all that he has to do so. Socrates starts to ask him what it is exactly that he thinks Protagoras offers, his friend is unsure, and the two begin a lengthy dialogue trying to distinguish a sophist from any other person of ability and wisdom.

Socrates has the opinion that it would be very dangerous to place your soul in the hands of a sophist, for you do not know what he may teach or what harm or evil may occur as a result. Plato shows us right away that he does not consider Socrates to be a sophist, and his views that a sophist may be dangerous to the soul, a part of the being that is held in highest regard, shows that he is not easily swayed by the general perception of the sophist's prominence.

Socrates questions Hippocrates and says,

"You are going to commit your soul to the care of a man whom you call a sophist. And yet I hardly think that you know what a sophist is; and if not, then you do not even know to whom you are committing your soul and whether the thing to which you commit yourself