One for Churchill

[Gibbon]

As your better half seems to like Socrates maybe you try this premise on her:

Socrates maintained that the courage of a man was shown in commanding, while that of a woman was shown in obeying.

Would be obliged for research purposes if you could report back on the success putting this premise into action.

[Churchill]

As your better half seems to like Socrates maybe you try this premise on her:

Socrates maintained that the courage of a man was shown in commanding, while that of a woman was shown in obeying.

Would be obliged for research purposes if you could report back on the success putting this premise into action.

Socrates wasn't married to an Irish girl.

[Gibbon]

Socrates wasn't married to an Irish girl.

But the greeks were Irish have you not heard Colin Farrell in Alexander?

Next excuse !

[Francko]

But the greeks were Irish have you not heard Colin Farrell in Alexander?

Next excuse !

I'd agree with Stewie about Colin Farrell.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTc1Kk3jkq4

[thunderlizard]

Where is he supposed to have said that? sounds far too reactionary for the Platonic Socrates. Maybe it's in his Xenophon incarnation. Unless you mean the Brazilian footballer and not the philosopher.

[Churchill]

Where is he supposed to have said that? sounds far too reactionary for the Platonic Socrates. Maybe it's in his Xenophon incarnation. Unless you mean the Brazilian footballer and not the philosopher.

I thought it was Aristotle...

[Gibbon]

Aristotle.

http://classics.mit.edu/Aristotle/politics.1.one.html

[thunderlizard]

That's a bit more plausible. The mighty wikipedia agrees with you, but it is still strange that their citation for that is not Aristotle but somebody called Cynthia Freeland.

[Gibbon]

I never ever quote from wiki, well not since I got marked down in an OU assignment. Cost me a distinction

[thunderlizard]

cheers Gibbon.

καὶ οὐχ ἡ αὐτὴ σωφροσύνη γυναικὸς καὶ ἀνδρός, οὐδ᾽ ἀνδρεία καὶ δικαιοσύνη, καθάπερ ᾤετο Σωκράτης, ἀλλ᾽ ἡ μὲν ἀρχικὴ ἀνδρεία ἡ δ᾽ ὑπηρετική, ὁμοίως δ᾽ ἔχει καὶ περὶ τὰς ἄλλας.

"and composure is not the same for a woman and a man, nor bravery or justice as Socrates thought, but bravery is ruling for one, and obeying for the other, like it is with other virtues"
which I take to mean Socrates thought they were the same, and Aristotle thinks they're different.
(with the added oddity that bravery is literally "maleness", so ἀνδρός / ἀνδρεία, so if you try and force that concept on a woman you're bound to run into problems).

I'm sure Socrates could have put him to rights there, as he's talking fundamentally. E.g. it might work out in life that bravery for a man is ordering his wife to hit him with a frying pan; and bravery for a woman is in obeying her husband when told to stand still while he hits her with a frying pan; but at bottom it's still a question of whether you can take a Le Creuset over the head).

Never was a fan of Aristotle. A very good biologist with ideas above his station if you ask me.