Aristophanes' Clouds

Aristophanes’ Clouds is a critique of the educational ideologies of his time.  He employs the exaggerated character of Socrates to show all that is wrong with the educational process and the philosophers who strove to interpret the world through their logic.

 

As an audience, we are first introduced to the character of Strepsiades and the troubles he is having with debtors.  Strepsiades, not knowing where else to turn, decides that the best action to beat his debtors’ claims is through learning the art of argument from a the “thinkery” school, taught by Socrates.  This fact is key to revealing the common perception of philosophers at the time, showing them to be thought as people who could escape the responsibilities of life and the consequences of their actions through the use of less than honest arguments and sly, deceptive reasoning.

 

Several things happen with the plot of Clouds, but the important points are clearly made when Strepsiades visits the school.  Instead of finding great discussions in progress about meaningful actualities, he instead finds all too serious philosophers concerning themselves with trivial things, such as which end of the body a gnat makes sounds with, and practicing absurd techniques such as studying the starts with their behinds.

 

Aristophanes’ then makes a point of ridiculing the great philosopher Socrates, suggesting that he, and possibly all the philosophers of the time, have their heads firmly stuck in the clouds, nearly completely detached from reality and the practical aspects of life.  Though Strepsiades turns to Socrates for help, Socrates instead decides to spite Strepsiades by turning him down and instead accepting his son, Pheidippides, but only in order to teach him the wrong and unjust ways of argument.  Philosophers of this time were thought highly of, and this examples serves as a warning, telling that these seemingly “great” thinkers are themselves flawed and can be easily influenced by unjust ideals and actions.