Philosophein as ergon: Plato’s Socrates in Herodotus’ Solon

<p><span>The purpose of this paper is to show how Plato did not have, at a glance, the poet as his main opponent: as Havelock wishes to prove, Plato’s problem is not only a quarrel about orality in poetry against the lettered <em>intellectual</em>. Thus, it is important to notice that in <em>Apology</em> <em>of Socrates</em>, Plato proposes to illustrate the difference between Socrates’ <em>philosophein</em> and the activity of the nominated <em>sophistai</em>, as seen that in <em>The</em> <em>Clouds</em> by Aristophanes the Socratic character is presented as a <em>sophistes</em>. However, we cannot forget that in the Fifth Century the words philosopher and sophist had a similar meaning. The aim of this study is, though, to discuss that in Herodotus, when Croesus and Solon meet, it is possible to differentiate the <em>philosophical </em>from certain <em>sophistical </em>activity and Plato probably used this distinction in certain passages in his work to highlight Solon as a singular wise man apart from the others. Hence, there would be a possible diversity of <em>erga</em> in the investigation in order to gain a knowledge. It would be, thus, less of a distinction between the poet of oral culture and the intellectual philosopher what Plato would aim to do immediately, but above all, through the theoretical knowledge, to justify rationally the most beautiful human actions.</span>