This article is part of the series: The Dialogues of Plato

Socratic Dialogues : Socrates, the Virtues, the Sophists Image File history File links Plato-raphael. ... Socrates (Greek: Σωκράτης, invariably anglicized as , SÇ’cratÄ“s; 470–399 BCE) was an ancient Greek philosopher who is widely credited for laying the foundation for Western philosophy. ... Virtue (Latin virtus; Greek ) is moral excellence of a man or a woman. ... Sophism was originally a term for the techniques taught by a highly respected group of philosophy and rhetoric teachers in ancient Greece. ...

Hippias Minor

First Alcibiades

Euthyphro

Laches – Charmides

Lysis – Hippias Major – Ion

Protagoras – Euthydemus

Gorgias – Menexenus

Meno – Critias

Apology

Crito – Cratylus

The great dialogues : theory of forms, politics, death, dialectic, love. Hippias Minor (or On Lying) is one of Platos early dialogues, written while the author was still young, although the exact date has not been established. ... The First Alcibiades or Alcibiades I is a dialogue featuring Alcibiades in conversation with Socrates, ascribed to Plato, but his authorship is doubtful, though probably written by someone within a century or two of Platos other works. ... Euthyphro is one of Platos known early dialogues. ... Laches, a Socratic Dialogue, concerns the topic of courage. ... The Charmides (Greek: ) is a dialogue of Plato, discussing the nature and utility of temperance. ... Lysis is one of the socratic dialogues written by Plato and discusses the nature of friendship. ... Platos Ion aims to give an account of poetry in dialogue form when Socrates and Ion discuss poetic inspiration, and whether or not poets create solely through skill or divine inspiration. ... Protagoras is the title of one of Platos dialogues. ... Euthydemus (Euthydemos), written 380 BCE, is dialogue by Plato which satirizes the logical fallacies of the Sophists. ... Gorgias refers to the last dialogue that Plato wrote before leaving Athens. ... The Menexenus is a Socratic dialogue of Plato, traditionally included in the seventh tetralogy along with the Greater and Lesser Hippias and the Ion. ... Meno is a Socratic dialogue written by Plato. ... Critias, a dialogue of Platos, speaks about a variety of subjects. ... (The) Apology (of Socrates) is Platos version of the speech given by Socrates as he defends himself against the charges of being a man who corrupted the young, did not believe in the gods, and created new deities. Apology here has its earlier meaning (now usually expressed by the... The Crito (IPA [kriːtɔːn]; in English usually [ˈkɹiːtɘʊː]) is a well-known dialogue by the ancient Greek philosopher, Plato, between Socrates and his follower the rich Athenian Crito (or Criton), regarding the source and nature of political obligation. ... Cratylus (Κρατυλος) is the name of a dialogue by Plato, written in approximately 360 BC. In the dialogue, Socrates is asked by two men, Cratylus and Hermogenes, to advise them whether names are conventional or natural, that is, whether language is a system of arbitrary signs or whether words have an... It has been suggested that The Forms be merged into this article or section. ...

Phaedo – The Symposium

The Republic – Phaedrus

The late dialogues : Criticism of the theory of forms, The Phaedo (pronounced FEE-doh) is the fourth and last dialogue detailing the final days of Socrates and contains the death scene. ... A fresco taken from the north wall of the Tomb of the Diver featuring an image of a symposium The Symposium is a Socratic dialogue by the ancient Greek philosopher Plato, student of Socrates, focusing on Eros (love) and its place in the philosophic path. ... The Republic (Greek ) is an influential work of philosophy and political theory by the Greek philosopher Plato, written in approximately 390 BC. It is written in the format of a Socratic dialogue. ... Platos Phaedrus is a dialogue between Socrates and Phaedrus. ... cosmology, politics, metaphysics

Theaetetus – Parmenides

The Sophist – Philebus

The Statesman – Timaeus

Laws

Of doubtful authenticity

Second Alcibiades – The Rivals

Theages – Epinomis – Minos

Clitophon

Hippias Major (or What is Beauty) is one of the dialogues of Plato. It belongs to the Early Dialogues, written while the author was still young. Its precise date is uncertain, although a date of circa 390 BCE has been suggested.^[1] The Theætetus is a dialogue by Plato. ... Parmenides is one of the dialogues of Plato. ... The Sophist (Greek: Σοφιστής) is one of the late Dialogues of Plato, which was written much more lately than the Parmenides and the Theaetetus, probably in 360 BC.After he criticized his own Theory of Forms in the Parmenides, Plato proceeds in the Sophist with a new conception of the Forms... Philebus is among the last of the late Socratic dialogues of the ancient Greek philosopher Plato. ... The Statesman, or Politikos in Greek and Politicus in Latin, is a four part dialogue contained within the work of Plato. ... Timaeus is a theoretical treatise of Plato in the form of a Socratic dialogue, written circa 360 B.C. The work puts forward speculation on the nature of the physical world. ... The Laws is Platos last and longest dialogue. ... The Second Alcibiades or Alcibiades II is a dialogue ascribed to Plato, featring Alcibiades conversing with Socrates, but there is a general consensus amongst scholars that this text is spurious, though again probably written by someone within a century or two of Platos other works. ... The Epinomis is a dialogue in the style of Plato, but today considered spurious by most scholars. ... The Clitophon, a dialogue generally ascribed to Plato, is significant for focusing on Socrates role as an exhorter of other people to engage in philosophic inquiry. ... For other uses, see Plato (disambiguation). ... Centuries: 5th century BC - 4th century BC - 3rd century BC Decades: 440s BC 430s BC 420s BC 410s BC 400s BC - 390s BC - 380s BC 370s BC 360s BC 350s BC 340s BC 395 BC 394 BC 393 BC 392 BC 391 BC - 390 BC - 389 BC 388 BC 387...

Authenticity

The authorship of Hippias Major has long been in dispute. Although some works previously attributed to Plato have been ruled as not authentic, this is one where authorship has still not been firmly established, though academic consensus appears to be drifting towards favouring its authenticity. The argument is summarized in (Sider 1977): "Dorothy Tarrant is the foremost advocate for the cause of spuriousness: cf. her edition of The Hippias Major Attributed to Plato (Cambridge, 1928). Opposing her in a series of articles is G.M.A. Grube, who wrote in 1926 and 1927. W.K.C. Guthrie, in A History of Greek Philosophy (Cambridge 1975) also argues for its genuineness."^[2] Sider, writing in 1992 states that G.R.Ledger, in Re-counting Plato (Oxford 1989) carried out a computer text analysis and though not conclusive "On balance the evidence for genuineness is fairly convincing". He goes on to state that amongst other recent work, P. Woodruff, Plato: Hippias Major (Oxford 1982) also argues for authenticity and dates the document to "around 390" BCE, while C.H. Kahn, OSAP 3 (1985) is the lone modern figure maintaining spuriousness.^[3] Of online material, The Internet Encyclopaedia of Philosophy states "Of those [of Plato's works] we listed as authentic, above (in the early group), only the Hippias Major continues occasionally to be listed as inauthentic. The strongest evidence against the authenticity of the Hippias Major is the fact that it is never mentioned in any of the ancient sources^[4]. In summary then, although early 20th century scholarship argued that it was spurious, latest research indicates that on the balance it is more likely authentic than not.

Personalities

• Socrates ;
• Hippias of Elis: Hippias was a well known Sophist, originally from Elis. Known throughout Greece, he was reputed to have mastered mathematics, astronomy and rhetoric; he boasted that he could speak on any subject at Olympia without preparation. He is presented by Plato, perhaps somewhat caricaturized, as vain, narrow, and of limited intellect; much as he is in Hippias Minor.

Socrates (Greek: Σωκράτης, invariably anglicized as , Sǒcratēs; 470–399 BCE) was an ancient Greek philosopher who is widely credited for laying the foundation for Western philosophy. ... Hippias can also refer to a son of Pisistratus and a tyrant of Athens. ... Sophism was originally a term for the techniques taught by a highly respected group of philosophy and rhetoric teachers in ancient Greece. ... Elis, or Eleia (Greek, Modern: Ήλιδα Ilida, Ancient/Katharevousa: Ήλις, also Ilis, Doric: Άλις) is an ancient district within the modern prefecture of Ilia. ... For other meanings of mathematics or math, see mathematics (disambiguation). ... A giant Hubble mosaic of the Crab Nebula. ... Rhetoric (from Greek ρήτωρ, rhêtôr, orator, teacher) is the art or technique of persuasion, usually through the use of language. ... Olympia (Greek: Ολυμπία Olympía or Ολύμπια Olýmpia, older transliterations, Olimpia, Olimbia), a sanctuary of ancient Greece in Elis, is known for having been the site of the Olympic Games in classical times, comparable in importance to the Pythian Games held in Delphi. ... For other uses, see Plato (disambiguation). ... Hippias Minor (or On Lying) is one of Platos early dialogues, written while the author was still young, although the exact date has not been established. ...

The dialogue: define beauty

In Hippias Major, Socrates and Hippias set out to find a definition for "beauty", but are destined to fail due to their inability to formulate an answer which encompasses the entire concept. Socrates (Greek: Σωκράτης, invariably anglicized as , Sǒcratēs; 470–399 BCE) was an ancient Greek philosopher who is widely credited for laying the foundation for Western philosophy. ... Hippias can also refer to a son of Pisistratus and a tyrant of Athens. ...

Introductory scene

Hippias meets Socrates

Hippias, whose business had kept him away from Athens for a long time, arrives in the city to give a lecture at Pheidostratus's^[5] school in the next few days. He meets Socrates, and the latter asks him why such a precious and wise man as Hippias has deprived the Athenians of his presence for so long. Hippias can also refer to a son of Pisistratus and a tyrant of Athens. ... Athens (Greek: Αθήνα, Athína IPA: ) is the capital and largest city of Greece, and the birthplace of democracy. ... Socrates (Greek: Σωκράτης, invariably anglicized as , Sǒcratēs; 470–399 BCE) was an ancient Greek philosopher who is widely credited for laying the foundation for Western philosophy. ... Athens (Greek: Αθήνα, Athína IPA: ) is the capital and largest city of Greece, and the birthplace of democracy. ...

It is, explains the great Sophist, because his native Elis was so in need of his services, and entrusted him with several important diplomatic missions to different cities; notably in Sparta. He made use of his travels throughout the Greek world to educate a large number of youth and earn large sums of money. But one example was the small town of Inycus, in Sicily, where the modest inhabitants sacrificed a good part of their savings to see their children educated. Sophism was originally a term for the techniques taught by a highly respected group of philosophy and rhetoric teachers in ancient Greece. ... Elis, or Eleia (Greek, Modern: Ήλιδα Ilida, Ancient/Katharevousa: Ήλις, also Ilis, Doric: Άλις) is an ancient district within the modern prefecture of Ilia. ... Sparta (Doric: , Attic: ) is a city in southern Greece. ... Motto: (Transliteration: ) (Translation: Freedom or Death) Anthem(s): (Hymn to Freedom) Capital Athens Largest city Athens Official language(s) Greek Government Parliamentary Republic 1  - President Karolos Papoulias  - Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis Independence From Ottoman Empire   - Last Independent Hellenic State 1461 Empire of Trebizond   - Declared 25 March 1821   - Recognized 1829  Accession... Sicily (Sicilia in Italian and Sicilian, Σικελία in Greek) is an autonomous region of Italy and the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, with an area of 25,700 sq. ...

Could excessive application of the law lead to lawlessness?

Socrates ironically assures him that this is all admirable. And if Hippias has spent such a large part of his time in Sparta, he asks, this must be where he earned the most? But Hippias demurs: he did not touch an obolus there. It was not because the Spartans did not wish the best possible education for their children, and not because they did not comprehend the true value of Hippias. The only reason was that "it is not the inherited usage of the Lacedaemonians to change their laws or to educate their children differently from what is customary."^[6] The obolus (or obol) is a Greek silver coin worth a sixth of a drachma. ... Laconia (Λακωνία), also known as Lacedaemonia, was in ancient Greece the portion of the Peloponnesus of which the most important city was Sparta. ...

However, Socrates emphasized, the law is precisely made for use and happiness of the citizens, two things to which Hippias would have been greatly able to contribute. By being too attached to the law and refusing the services of Hippias, the Spartans contradict the aim of their own laws and this therefore could be considered as being unlawful.

Hippias, thus suitably flattered, agrees with Socrates. The latter then asks him then how he nevertheless had so much success in this severe city of Laconia. It is not, Hippias answers, for his knowledge of arithmetic or astronomy, but rather "They are very fond of hearing about the genealogies of heroes and men, Socrates, and the foundations of cities in ancient times and, in short, about antiquity in general...[these being] beautiful pursuits,"^[7] Laconia (Λακωνία; see also List of traditional Greek place names), also known as Lacedaemonia, was in ancient Greece the portion of the Peloponnesus of which the most important city was Sparta. ... Arithmetic is the current mathematics collaboration of the week! Please help improve it to featured article standard. ... A giant Hubble mosaic of the Crab Nebula. ...

Socrates reveals his problem

Socrates is happy that Hippias came to reminisce on beautiful things, because this is a subject that interests Socrates greatly and with good reason. Recently, according to the latter, while criticising the beauty or ugliness of part of speeches, he claims to have been harassed by an acquaintance, who reproached him for not really knowing the definition of beauty.

Thus embarrassed by this exposure, Socrates claims to be delighted that finally one as competent as Hippias will be able to provide his opinion on the nature of beauty. The great Sophist, flattered, does not object; and is goaded on by Socrates, who offers to reprise the discussion, playing the part of the harasser. This role-play on the part of Socrates adds to the comic nature of dialogue, by allowing him to address and mock Hippias in ways which otherwise would not have been acceptable.

Hippias's three responses

First definition: beauty is a pretty girl

Hippias by his first response shows that he understood nothing of the needs of his interlocutor: "For be assured, Socrates, if I must speak the truth, a beautiful maiden is beautiful." (287e). Socrates estimates this to be, with his usual irony, a brilliant answer. But cannot they say that a lyre, a horse or even a pot is beautiful? The most beautiful of pots of course would not stand up to comparison with a beautiful girl, but then in turn what is the beauty of a girl in comparison to that of a goddess? An interlocutor (pronounced in-ter-lock-you-ter) describes someone who informally explains the views of a government and also can relay messages back to a government. ... Irony is a literary or rhetorical device in which there is a gap or incongruity between what a speaker or a writer says, and what is understood. ... Ceres, the Roman goddess of agriculture. ...

In short, there is an infinite number of beautiful things besides beautiful girls. In any case, this is not really the question; it is not a question of knowing what is beautiful and what isn't, but rather to define beauty and to say what makes beautiful things "beautiful".

Second definition: beauty is gold

The second response offered by Hippias is not much more inspired: "This that you ask about, the beautiful, is nothing else but gold... For we all know, I fancy, that wherever this is added, even what before appears ugly will appear beautiful when adorned with gold."(289e)

No doubt, replies Socrates, but what to make then of the great statue of Athena at the Parthenon? This masterpiece of Phidias is mostly made of ivory and precious stones, and not of gold. Yet the statue is magnificent. Helmeted Athena, of the Velletri type. ... The Parthenon seen from the hill of the Pnyx to the west. ... Phidias (or Pheidias) son of Charmides, (c. ...

Besides, gold any other precious metal only gives rise to beauty if it is properly used. In the case of the pot, for instance, who is to say whether a wooden spoon or a golden spoon would be better to stir with, or which would be more beautiful?

Third definition: beauty is to be rich and respected

This time Hippias thinks that he understands: Socrates wants to know what no man will ever find ugly.

But once again his conclusion disappoints: "I say, then, that for every man and everywhere it is most beautiful to be rich and healthy, and honoured by the Greeks, to reach old age, and, after providing a beautiful funeral for his deceased parents, to be beautifully and splendidly buried by his own offspring." (291d-e)

A very comic scene follows, where Socrates shows his fear of the beating with a stick he would receive from his harasser if he had given that answer. What then of Achilles or Heracles? Was it beautiful for these two heroes, sons of the immortals, to be buried before their parents, before the gods? Was there no beauty in their lives because they were not buried by their offspring? Beauty in this sense then applies to ordinary men, but it would be ugliness for heroes. The definition is thus incorrect. The Wrath of Achilles, by François-Léon Benouville (1821–1859) (Musée Fabre) In Greek mythology, Achilles, also Akhilleus or Achilleus (Ancient Greek ) was a hero of the Trojan War, the central character and greatest warrior of Homers Iliad, which takes for its theme, not the War... Hercules, a Roman bronze (Louvre Museum) For other uses, see Heracles (disambiguation). ...

Socrates's three responses

First definition: beauty is that which is appropriate

Tiring of the errors of Hippias, Socrates offers a definition in his turn, which he holds came from his famous harasser: the beautiful is simply that which is appropriate. Hippias can also refer to a son of Pisistratus and a tyrant of Athens. ... Socrates (Greek: Σωκράτης, invariably anglicized as , Sǒcratēs; 470–399 BCE) was an ancient Greek philosopher who is widely credited for laying the foundation for Western philosophy. ...

This response pleases Hippias. But further examination is needed: first of all, is it the appropriateness which makes things beautiful, or does it simply make them appear to be beautiful? The second hypothesis is tempting: even a ridiculous man, dressed in nice clothing, will appear more beautiful. But inside he would still be ridiculous; thus appropriate and beautiful are not the same.

Hippias suggests that appropriateness provides at the same time the reality and the appearance of beauty. But then, nothing could be less sure; if everything was that simple, citizens and politicians would no longer have to quarrel to decide which action was the nicer.

Second definition: beauty is that which is useful

For a second time, Socrates proposes a solution: if it is beautiful, is it useful? Socrates (Greek: Σωκράτης, invariably anglicized as , Sǒcratēs; 470–399 BCE) was an ancient Greek philosopher who is widely credited for laying the foundation for Western philosophy. ...

But here again problems surface: it is through power that men make things useful. Nevertheless, as is well known, power can as much serve evil as it serves good. And there is difficulty in qualifying actions as bad or good. Which in turn requires that the definition be refocused; beauty is only usefulness applied to good ends, or those that are "favourable".

Identifying the beautiful and the favourable leads to a paradox: the favourable procreates the beautiful, as a father procreates a son. Since the favourable and the beautiful are thus considered to be one and the same, they arrive at the finding that beauty is the reason of goodness. In logic, a cause and an effect are two different things, as a father is different from the son. And thus they must conclude that Beauty is not good, and good is not beauty; an assertion which pleases neither Socrates nor Hippias. Hippias can also refer to a son of Pisistratus and a tyrant of Athens. ...

Third definition: beauty is the pleasure that comes from seeing and hearing

To conclude, Socrates brings out a final definition; at first glance quite amazing: "[what] if we were to say that that is beautiful which makes us feel joy ; I do not mean all pleasures, but that which makes us feel joy through hearing and sight?"^[8] Socrates (Greek: Σωκράτης, invariably anglicized as , SÇ’cratÄ“s; 470–399 BCE) was an ancient Greek philosopher who is widely credited for laying the foundation for Western philosophy. ...

This hypothesis, while appealing, contains according to Socrates himself a fundamental flaw; that it ignores the beauty of the more noble pleasures, drawn from the studious occupations or the study of laws.

On the other hand, it seems striking that only the senses of sight and hearing are taken into account. Is this a way to submit to common opinion, which is that touch, taste and smell are somehow more shameful and base than the other senses?

Finally, it is not simply because pleasure comes from seeing or hearing that it is beautiful. Socrates throws himself into a series of very complex considerations: taking into account pairs of objects, in the Majority of cases the term which they apply to both objects (A and B are beautiful, A and B are just) can apply also to an object taken separately (A is beautiful and B is beautiful). But in some rare cases it can happen that it this is not the case, notably when the sum of A and B forms an even number and A and B, taken in isolation, are two odd numbers.

In the case of beauty, it is the first category that is appropriate, because if a pair of two objects is beautiful, it stands to reason that each of them is. But a new paradox appears, since the beautiful, in discreet definition, must belong to both pleasures of sight and hearing, taken jointly, and cannot belong to only one of them. The definition, as a result, proves to be flawed.

Exhausted by the many ultimately useless subtleties they have considered, Hippias berates Socrates and urges him instead of "with mere talk and nonsense" to seek beauty in "the ability to produce a discourse well and beautifully in a court of law or a council-house or before any other public body before which the discourse may be delivered."^[9] Hippias can also refer to a son of Pisistratus and a tyrant of Athens. ...

Socrates, taking his leave, pretends to feel bad about the situation, cornered between the attacks of Hippias and those of his mysterious opponent. His only certainty, he concludes with a sense of humour, is that from now on he better understands the Greek proverb "beautiful things are difficult"

Literary and philosophical impact

It may strike the reader as surprising that the definition identifying the beautiful the useful is refuted, given that this corresponds quite well with the historical view of Socrates. But as in Charmides, Lysis and Euthyphro, Hippias Major has an "anatreptic" or self-defeating virtue, that is the purpose of the author is to defeat commonly held opinions, without necessarily offering a resolution, something which is saved for subsequent texts (in a sense, the philosophical equivalent of a cliffhanger). Socrates (Greek: Σωκράτης, invariably anglicized as , Sǒcratēs; 470–399 BCE) was an ancient Greek philosopher who is widely credited for laying the foundation for Western philosophy. ... The Charmides (Greek: ) is a dialogue of Plato, discussing the nature and utility of temperance. ... Lysis is one of the socratic dialogues written by Plato and discusses the nature of friendship. ... Euthyphro is one of Platos known early dialogues. ... A cliffhanger or cliffhanger ending is a plot device in which a movie, novel, or other work of fiction contains an abrupt ending, often leaving the main characters in a precarious or difficult situation. ...

In terms of philosophical development, Hippias Major is not much more advanced that the other early dialogues. The concept of "Good in and of itself", although only obliquely, makes its first appearance in this work. Nevertheless platonic thought is not yet fully developed: there is, for instance, no trace of the concept of "reminiscence" enunciated in "Meno" and "Phaedrus", where souls acquire the knowledge of the concept of "Beautiful" and "Good" in the course of their wanderings in the afterlife. The afterlife (or life after death) is a generic term referring to a continuation of existence, typically spiritual and experiential, beyond this world, or after death. ...

It is on the literary plane that Hippias Major is most remarkable. The dialogue can be read as much as a serious philosophical work as a light satirical comedy with two actors. The astuteness of Socrates in taking refuge under the authority of a supposed third protagonist in order to direct biting criticism at Hippias, endows the dialogue with great humour and brings it very much to life.

Notes

June 29 is the 180th day of the year (181st in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 185 days remaining. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... June 29 is the 180th day of the year (181st in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 185 days remaining. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology is a encyclopedia/biographical dictionary. ... Look up Archon in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... This is a list of the Eponymous Archons of Athens. ...

Further reading

• (French) Alain, Platon, Champs-Flammarion, 2005, ISBN 2-08-080134-1
• (French) Châtelet, François, Platon, Folio, Gallimard, 1989, ISBN 2-07-032506-7
• (French) Pradeau, Jean-François, Les mythes de Platon, GF-Flammarion, 2004, ISBN 2-08-071185-7
• (French) Pradeau, Jean-François, Le vocabulaire de Platon, Ellipses Marketing, 1998, ISBN 2-7298-5809-1