Hippias Major
by Plato
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Hippias of Elis travels throughout the Greek world practicing and teaching the art of making beautiful speeches. On a rare visit to Athens, he meets Socrates who questions him about the nature of his art. Socrates is especially curious about how Hippias would define beauty. They agree that "beauty makes all beautiful things beautiful," but when Socrates presses him to say precisely what he means, Hippias is unable to deliver such a definition. The more Socrates probes, the more absurd the show more responses from Hippias become. This is one of Plato's best comedies and one of his finest efforts at posing the philosophical problem of the difference between particular things and universal qualities. show lessTags
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it was the very first dialogue i read, so now after 3 years i read it again, finding it a little easier to read through. there is a very good presentation of the socratic method, that is very short and concerning something that concerns us all: Beauty. although they reach no definition of it at the end, it is still very interesting as it makes one want to further develop such a concept, the beautiful things are indeed difficult!
A quintessential Platonic dialogue. There are things to be garnished here, wisdom that escapes those who do not read it. Although some might find it rudimentary, when you dive into it there is much to be learned. For me, it was not the most profound of Plato's dialogues, but I found it still to be necessary nonetheless.
3 stars.
3 stars.
Amusant. A le mérite d’être court, sauf les quatre dernières pages un peu laborieuses.
Feb 22, 2022French
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Plato was born c. 427 B.C. in Athens, Greece, to an aristocratic family very much involved in political government. Pericles, famous ruler of Athens during its golden age, was Plato's stepfather. Plato was well educated and studied under Socrates, with whom he developed a close friendship. When Socrates was publically executed in 399 B.C., Plato show more finally distanced himself from a career in Athenian politics, instead becoming one of the greatest philosophers of Western civilization. Plato extended Socrates's inquiries to his students, one of the most famous being Aristotle. Plato's The Republic is an enduring work, discussing justice, the importance of education, and the qualities needed for rulers to succeed. Plato felt governors must be philosophers so they may govern wisely and effectively. Plato founded the Academy, an educational institution dedicated to pursuing philosophic truth. The Academy lasted well into the 6th century A.D., and is the model for all western universities. Its formation is along the lines Plato laid out in The Republic. Many of Plato's essays and writings survive to this day. Plato died in 347 B.C. at the age of 80. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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- Canonical title
- Hippias Major
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