EL336: WM Plato informal reflection

David's entry on this piece was similar to my thoughts in the sense that he feels Socrates dislikes the lack of interaction the written word has in comparison to listening to a speaker. Socrates felt oral communication was more intelligent due to this interaction. He compares the written word to a painting, it has the potential to express, communicate, and teach, but it lacks the ability to answer any questions or provide clarity to the audience.

David did touch on something that enlightened me somewhat to Socrates ego. Perhaps Socrates was afraid of being forgotten. As Leslie brought up in her entry though, it is a bit hypocritical of Socrates to allow Plato to write this conversation.

Jeremy also brought a new train of thought to my attention on this topic. Socrates believed oral communication is more intelligent, we all touched on this, however Jeremy made a point in saying that oral communication can be skewed much more easily than the written word which has permanence. Therefore that would make oral communication much less intelligent.