Il manifestarsi del daimonion di socrate: kairos o tyche?

Abstract

Socrates’ daimonion manifests itself in very peculiar ways. On the one hand, it appears as tyche, a chance over which Socrates has no control; on the other hand, it acts as kairos, i.e. the "right moment" a specific action has to be undertaken or avoided. The daimonion is capable of directing the choices and actions not only of Socrates, but also of his friends, companions and fellow citizens. This chapter shows that the daimonion appears in each and every critical moment of Socrates’ educational activity: it is thanks to its intervention that Socrates is able to perform his elenctic inquiry and thus make his interlocutors better. The appearance of the daimonion enables Socrates to carefully pick his friends and associates; it thus brings about Socratic synousia, i.e. that kind of “company” that can develop into dialogical activity.