A Philosophical Solution to the Problem of Socrates

Abstract

Socrates’ purposes, in his philosophical conversations with others, remain a puzzle. We review eleven distinct interpretive options, many of which stretch back more than a hundred years, finding all of them untenable.  We then propose an original, twelfth interpretation as the most faithful and charitable alternative.  Our discussion takes as its focus Plato’s dialogue Laches as a representative of the aporetic dialogues.