In addition to his mad rhetorical skills, Socrates is notable for being The Clouds' primary scientist figure. He teaches Strepsiades about how clouds (not Zeus) make the rain, and apparently he has all kinds of instruments hanging around that can be used for geometry, astronomy, etc.
Seems innocent enough, right? Well, the downside (in the play's logic, anyway) appears to be that Socrates isn't super interested in taking his cues for how to act from gods and their moral codes—and without some external force defining morality for him, he seems free to decide right and wrong for himself. And he doesn't always do such a good job.
Questions About Religion and Science
- We know that religion is portrayed as good for instilling a moral code, but is belief in the gods always portrayed positively?
- Is science always portrayed negatively? Are there any moments when it gets a neutral or positive treatment?
- Why is it significant or important that Socrates views the Clouds as gods? Are they gods, or do you think the Clouds are just feigning god status to have some fun with the characters?
Chew on This
The fact that Socrates turns the Clouds into gods is the ultimate proof of his hypocrisy. Even though he's all about lecturing Strepsiades about science (and how things like rain are just natural phenomena, not proof of godly intervention), Socrates believes in gods just like the people he critiques/ridicules— he just finds them in different (and arguably more ridiculous) places.
The Clouds are gods, as far as the play's universe is concerned. They have all the telltale signs: the tendency to prescribe morals from on high, a love of testing people by giving them challenges to overcome (Abraham and Isaac, anyone?), and a vengeful attitude toward people who don't listen to them (which apparently is lots of people).