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ironia

English translation: Socratic irony

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
Italian term or phrase:ironia socratica
English translation:Socratic irony
Entered by: philgoddard

19:17 Jan 14, 2013
Italian to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Philosophy / Essay (ancient philosophy
Italian term or phrase: ironia
Contesto:
Solo in modo molto più ristretto è stato messo in luce dagli interpreti come Platone non intenda unicamente riabilitare la figura del maestro ma anche, per taluni aspetti, concordi con le critiche mosse da Aristofane: così almeno per il Sofista, dove non pare smentire, quanto, piuttosto, confermare la sua vicinanza alla sofistica. Più dubbi sono i riferimenti a Socrate contenuti nella prima suddivisione, quando lo Straniero definisce il sofista come un «cacciatore di giovani ricchi», nella quinta, quando l’allusione è alla «chiacchera» e nella settima, quando l’accento cade sull’***«ironia»***.

Si intende l'ironia come eironikos, quindi "irony" mi sembra riduttivo, ma "dissembling" forse forviante? preferirei non aggiungere "Socratic". Qualcuno è specializzato in questo settore?

Grazie mille a tutti
Alessandra Zuin
Local time: 09:42
(Socratic) irony
Explanation:
It would be wrong to translate it any other way. It has a special meaning in this context, but it's still irony.

"Socratic irony is a technique used in the Socratic method of teaching. Irony is employed when someone says something that conveys a message that contradicts the literal words. In the case of Socratic irony, Socrates might pretend to think his students wise or he might denigrate his own intelligence, as by pretending he doesn't know the answer.

"According to the article "Socratic irony" in The Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy (Simon Blackburn. Oxford University Press, 2008), Socratic irony is "Socrates's irritating tendency to praise his hearers while undermining them, or to disparage his own superior abilities while manifesting them."
Selected response from:

philgoddard
United States
Grading comment
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4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
5 +7(Socratic) irony
philgoddard


Discussion entries: 1





  

Answers


7 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +7
ironia (socratica)
(Socratic) irony


Explanation:
It would be wrong to translate it any other way. It has a special meaning in this context, but it's still irony.

"Socratic irony is a technique used in the Socratic method of teaching. Irony is employed when someone says something that conveys a message that contradicts the literal words. In the case of Socratic irony, Socrates might pretend to think his students wise or he might denigrate his own intelligence, as by pretending he doesn't know the answer.

"According to the article "Socratic irony" in The Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy (Simon Blackburn. Oxford University Press, 2008), Socratic irony is "Socrates's irritating tendency to praise his hearers while undermining them, or to disparage his own superior abilities while manifesting them."



    Reference: http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/socratesphil/g/080709Socr...
philgoddard
United States
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 12
Grading comment
Selected automatically based on peer agreement.
Notes to answerer
Asker: Thank you very much. I always tend to make things more difficult than they are

Asker: Would also use "Socratic" before "irony" or leave it undefined as in the ST?


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  James (Jim) Davis: Yes, I found it a bit heavy handed when I read it in Plato's republic years ago, but of course that was Plato's version of Socratic irony.
5 mins
agree  David Hollywood: very nice explanation :)
7 mins
  -> Not mine!
agree  Tom in London: I agree - it would be wrong to translate it in any other way
13 mins
agree  Valentina Rocchi: You find "socratic irony" also in philosophical journals, so I think this is the right way to translate it.
15 mins
agree  Yvonne Gallagher
1 hr
agree  Inter-Tra: if he wants 'wittly attack' ... then 'sarcasm'
3 hrs
agree  Isabelle Johnson: Definitely
12 hrs
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