21.5 Subversive Words
<p>One law the Thirty passed prohibited “teaching the art of words.” This initiative was presumably directed against the proliferation of political expertise among the Many. According to <strong>Xenophon</strong>, a rumor reached <strong>Critias</strong> and his colleague <strong>Charicles</strong> that <strong>Socrates</strong> had said, “It would be surprising to me if a cowherd who made his cattle fewer and worse were not forced to admit to being a poor herdsman. It would be even more surprising if the leader of a city who made its citizens fewer and worse should not have to acknowledge to his own shame that he was failure as a political leader.” Critias and Charicles summoned him and warned him not to have such discussions with the youth.</p>
<p>Socrates asked for clarification. “So that I may not violate the law through ignorance, I need to learn clearly from you whether, when you order me to avoid the art of words, you mean the art of speaking truly or falsely. For if you mean the former, it’s clear that I must refrain from telling the truth; if the latter, I must try to tell the truth.”</p>
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