Socrates quote qbout women

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Tamsuan
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Socrates quote qbout women

Post by Tamsuan »

I was just looking through some quotes purportedly from Socrates, by way of Plato I suppose.
This one was unfamiliar to me:
“Once made equal to man, woman becomes his superior.”
― Socrates

Can anyone here tell me where this comes from; which dialogue? Is it from the Republic?

I really disagree with this idea due to my life experience. My wife and I have found a level of collaboration, trust and mutual respect which makes the whole concept of power imbalance; superior and inferior, in relationships completely irrelevant.

What do you think about this "quote"?
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TSBU
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Post by TSBU »

It's as absurd as aristotle comparing them with animals and saying that the best are bees... but knowing how Socrates wife was... XD.
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Harbal
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Re: Socrates quote qbout women

Post by Harbal »

Tamsuan wrote: My wife and I have found a level of collaboration, trust and mutual respect which makes the whole concept of power imbalance; superior and inferior, in relationships completely irrelevant.
Your wife obviously told you to say that.
thedoc
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Re: Socrates quote qbout women

Post by thedoc »

There are several gates to get into Heaven. One gate for men has a sign "This gate is for men who always do what their wives told them". There was a long line of men at that gate. The other gate for men had a sign, "This gate is for men who do what they want, in spite of what their wife tells them". There was only one man standing at that gate. Finally one of the men in the long line calls over and asks, "Why are you standing over there?" the man answered, "I don't know, my wife told me to stand here."
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Tamsuan
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Re: Socrates quote qbout women

Post by Tamsuan »

After spending another frustrating half hour on Google and seeing this quote hundreds of times with no source noted except "Socrates" I'm now thinking that this is probably not a genuine quote from Socratic literature.

Of course the idea of a quote from Socrates is pretty fishy anyway since he didn't record his thoughts in writing.

TSBU; Yes, Socrates and Xanthippe had a lot of squabbles apparently. She seems devoted in Phaedo but Socrates dismisses her coldly. He didn't think much of marriage by all accounts.

I always found Classic Greek culture ugly.... warfare, slavery, misogyny, hierarchy in general. No amount of marble statuary redeems all that for me. Recently, though, I've been sifting out some valuable nuggets of wisdom from these old philosophers.
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Tamsuan
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Re: Socrates quote qbout women

Post by Tamsuan »

Harbal and TheDoc; these marriage conflict jokes go way back, don't they? Is it all in good fun or is there a serious gender war underlying the humor?

I think there's an ancient and persistent notion embedded in human consciousness: "I must dominate the "other" or the "other" will dominate me. This is driven by anxiety.
If you visualize a pie and cut it into two halves; one representing women and the other representing men then the tendency is that women will say that men want to dominate them while men think that women try to dominate men.
If you cut the pie again, this time at right angles to the first cut and label the two sides dominators and non-dominators then you see men who need to dominate and women who need to dominate. On the other half of the pie you see both women and men who feel no need to dominate the other.

I've come across people of all these types and, for me, the anxiety-driven dominators of either sex are best avoided.
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Tamsuan
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Re: Socrates quote qbout women

Post by Tamsuan »

Heh heh, re-reading my wordy explanation above I think it will generate mostly confusion and a sudden craving for pie!
Paul Heinowski
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Re: Socrates quote qbout women

Post by Paul Heinowski »

Interesting to read this quote thanks. I was indeed under the impression that Socrates was a bit henpecked by his two wives. Another great mortal, Adam, was reduced to mortality through his partner's jealousy of God. Might this be how Socrates kept himself grounded in his wives' scepticism about his status as a philosopher.
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Jeina Johnson
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Post by Jeina Johnson »

TSBU wrote:It's as absurd as aristotle comparing them with animals and saying that the best are bees... but knowing how Socrates wife was... XD.
This was so beautifully framed i had to Quote. Haha :mrgreen:
thedoc
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Re: Socrates quote qbout women

Post by thedoc »

Tamsuan wrote:Heh heh, re-reading my wordy explanation above I think it will generate mostly confusion and a sudden craving for pie!
When I was growing up there was a rule about splitting some treat with my brother that we both liked. One would cut the item in half and the other would get to choose first which half they wanted. Since the item was something we both wanted, great care was taken to get the item exactly in half.
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Hobbes' Choice
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Re: Socrates quote qbout women

Post by Hobbes' Choice »

Tamsuan wrote:After spending another frustrating half hour on Google and seeing this quote hundreds of times with no source noted except "Socrates" I'm now thinking that this is probably not a genuine quote from Socratic literature.

Of course the idea of a quote from Socrates is pretty fishy anyway since he didn't record his thoughts in writing.

TSBU; Yes, Socrates and Xanthippe had a lot of squabbles apparently. She seems devoted in Phaedo but Socrates dismisses her coldly. He didn't think much of marriage by all accounts.

I always found Classic Greek culture ugly.... warfare, slavery, misogyny, hierarchy in general. No amount of marble statuary redeems all that for me. Recently, though, I've been sifting out some valuable nuggets of wisdom from these old philosophers.
All ancient culture had those things. At least Athens had democracy.

As for the quote; I've not heard that one before, and not from Plato. If you find it let us know.
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Hobbes' Choice
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Re: Socrates quote qbout women

Post by Hobbes' Choice »

thedoc wrote:
Tamsuan wrote:Heh heh, re-reading my wordy explanation above I think it will generate mostly confusion and a sudden craving for pie!
When I was growing up there was a rule about splitting some treat with my brother that we both liked. One would cut the item in half and the other would get to choose first which half they wanted. Since the item was something we both wanted, great care was taken to get the item exactly in half.
We did that too: "you cut, I choose!"
The trick was to make one slice smaller, but look bigger.
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Harbal
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Re: Socrates quote qbout women

Post by Harbal »

Hobbes' Choice wrote: The trick was to make one slice smaller, but look bigger.
A trick you're still trying to pull right up to this very day, Hobbes.
Leoric
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Re: Socrates quote qbout women

Post by Leoric »

Paul Heinowski wrote: Tue Mar 14, 2017 4:11 pm Interesting to read this quote thanks. I was indeed under the impression that Socrates was a bit henpecked by his two wives. Another great mortal, Adam, was reduced to mortality through his partner's jealousy of God. Might this be how Socrates kept himself grounded in his wives' scepticism about his status as a philosopher.
Although his wives have probably given him some insight with regards to female nature, I think he could be talking in a larger perspective. I've seen people interpreting this quota in the context of women suffrage for example. In every democracy where women live more and men die more, women are the majority of voters. So theoretically once they are made equal to men (in the sense that they can vote) they can become superior to men by outvoting them. Women didn't vote in Athens democracy when Socrates was alive, but he might have thought about that. I've also seen people relating the quote to human psycology. Humans have evolved to be gynocentric, in the sense that we are hardwired to protect women's lives in the expense of men's. Socrates could be arguing that men having different rights and responsibilties than women actually made a better balanced society.
Last edited by Leoric on Mon Apr 12, 2021 4:29 am, edited 1 time in total.
Eyeon
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Re: Socrates quote qbout women

Post by Eyeon »

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