Abstract

The Platonic dialogues allow us to delve into the philosophical questions and reflections that permeated the Greek world of the classical period. Its content richness has permeated time, encouraging us to learn about and reflect on themes that are independent of time, as they remain relevant in our contemporary times, among them the theme of temperance. Thus, this article has as its reference Alcibiades' praise for Socrates, in the dialogue The Symposium, and aims to investigate the condition of the famous Athenian strategos from the category of temperance. For this investigation we have as references the virtue of sophrosyne (temperance) in the archaic and classical periods of Greek culture. We present the meaning and changes that this sophrosyne virtue underwent during these periods in the Athenian polis, as well as its conceptualization by Plato.