On the Common Ground of the Socratic Philosophies: The Anthropological Core

Studies on the Socratic philosophies have grown in number in recent years, calling attention to their significance for the understanding of the intellectual climate at the beginning of the fourth century bc. Figures such as Antisthenes, Aristippus, Aeschines, and the Megarics were as influential as Plato and Xenophon, but their views were very different, so that it is difficult to determine what the theoretical features are that make them part of this group. In this paper, the problem of the common ground of the Socratic philosophies is investigated through the exploration of their anthropological perspectives. Through this analysis it will be possible to arrive at conclusions about their common concerns and to illuminate the role of the Socratic philosophies in the shaping of Western anthropological thought.