ALCIBIADES 1

He is incredibly proud of his good looks, noble birth, numerous friends, possessions, and ties to Pericles, the Athenian state's leader. Alcibiades had a large number of fans and lovers, but they have all fled because of his coldness. Socrates was his first love, but he hasn't spoken to him in a long time. Before Alcibiades appears in front of the Athenian assembly, the older man tries to assist the youth with his inquiries. Socrates spends the rest of the debate explaining why Alcibiades needs him.

The teenager is persuaded by Socrates' reasoning at the end of Alcibiades I, and adopts him as his tutor. The essence of politics – war and peace – is the first item they discuss. Socrates says that individuals should fight on the basis of fairness, but he questions Alcibiades' mastery of the law. As a result of Socrates' interrogation, Alcibiades reveals that he neither learnt nor found the concept of justice from a master. According to Alcibiades, politics is about expediency rather than justice, and the two concepts may be at odds. Socrates convinces him that he is incorrect, and that there is no justice without expediency. The ashamed adolescent admits that he has little knowledge of politics.