Who would have thought that the discipline of philosophy could be harmful—after all, what could be better and more helpful to human beings than pondering the meaning of life? Well, judging from what happens in The Clouds, a lot.
Aristophanes portrays the great philosopher Socrates as using silly methods (like having his students stare at the ground with their butts pointed toward the sky) to pursue deep thoughts, which makes his school and teachings look pretty ridiculous.
But silliness is the least of Socrates's crimes, the play implies. Socrates's philosophy is all about rhetorical success and winning your argument at any expense, rather than following any objective moral code or standard... and Aristophanes as a real problem with that.
Questions About Philosophy
- Are only Socrates's ideas portrayed as bad, or do you think philosophy in general gets a bad rap in the play? Is all philosophy kind of portrayed as mental self-indulgence?
- Better Argument appears to be, well, better than Worse Argument, but how much better is he and his school of thought?
- Are there any examples of good philosophers or philosophies in the play?
Chew on This
You get the vibe that Aristophanes kind of objects to philosophy as a whole, since it encourages people to like and value ideas over morals.
Philosophy is fine in the play's universe, as long as it's directed toward moral ends; it's only when philosophy gets separated from a moral sense that it becomes problematic.