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What's in the Cup? /////// Isabelle Ferguson

In The Apology Socrates is on trial for being charged with corrupting the youth and atheism. He begins defending himself by admitting that he is nervous to go against those who have accused him, as they have had more training in rhetoric than he has (Plato, page 1). Socrates does not support the full concept of rhetoric, because it seeks to win an argument. As a philosopher, he has the goal of revealing the truth and what is real, without dressing up his speech with eloquence and persuasive phrases. 

“I found [Faustus] a man of agreeable personality, with a pleasant manner of speech...But my thirst was not to be satisfied in this way, however precious the cup and however exquisite the man who served it (Augustine, page 97).” Augustine in this quote reminds me of Socrates in Plato’s The Apology. Faustus has a reputation in Augustine's community, and Augustine takes a liking to his personality. Before hearing Faustus speak, Augustine is made aware by his peers that Faustus speaks very well. While Augustine reveres Faustus at this point in his life, he is interested in the knowledge itself which Faustus has to pass on, not the reputation of the man and his eloquence.  

In the quote above, Augustine uses the image of wine in a fancy cup served by someone lovely to describe what it is he is after. He uses “wine”  in the fancy cup to represent the knowledge which he wishes to obtain. The cup and server are the deliverance of the knowledge and the person who is delivering the knowledge. Faustus was like the cup, in that he appeared likeable and served his knowledge in an exquisite way; however, the knowledge Faustus delivered did not match the presentation Augustine saw. This can be compared to Socrates on trial. He is not trying to persuade the jury to find him innocent, he is simply trying to reveal the facts of the trial and, thus, the truth. While his accusers have swayed the jury with their reputation and speech, it is shown that they hold no real truth or fact in their accusations. Socrates and Augustine both are seeking what is inside the "cup." They are looking for fact, knowledge, and truth.

P.S. I commented on Abbie Hedden's post and Brooke's post.

Comments

  1. Lily CaswellFebruary 1, 2021 at 8:43 PM

    I really like the connection between Augustine and Plato, Isabelle. One thing that I might add is that Augustine is also searching for the spiritual “cup of water” that Jesus offers us that will quench our spiritual thirst. I actually just read The Apology for Philosophy and to see this connection makes me really think about the points you made above.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Logan TurnerFebruary 2, 2021 at 9:18 AM

    I never really thought to make the connection between Augustine and Plato. It certainly works though. Surely there are a lot of people like Faustus who serve dollar wine in a fancy glass.

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