Plato's _Hippias Minor_ has long been considered puzzling in its
philosophical purpose, its characterization of Socrates, and its
overall design. Departing from a tradition of scholarship that largely
relegates the dialogue to the fringes of the Platonic corpus, this
volume offers a fresh translation into English and a comprehensive
re-evaluation of the dialogue's philosophical content and literary
construction. Ravi Sharma argues that _Hippias Minor_ contributes
significantly to our understanding of Plato's conception of
intentional action and that the dialogue's ideas form the basis for
reflections in moral psychology that may be found elsewhere in the
Platonic corpus. The portrait of Socrates in the dialogue is one of
Plato's more subtle explorations of his epistemic complexity: Socrates
is shown to be wedded to the arguments he makes despite understanding
that they entail significant difficulties for the development of a
broader theory of intentional action. The overall literary design of
_Hippias Minor_ is revealed to be fully appropriate to Plato as a
writer of dialogue, a master of character-portrayal, and an innovative
commentator on his intellectual and cultural milieu. The commentary
engages expansively with the history of scholarship in the major
linguistic and methodological traditions, supporting an interpretation
of the dialogue that fully integrates its philosophical and literary
dimensions, and that draws on neglected historical evidence concerning
the sophist Hippias to explain Plato's portrayal of him. The volume
also provides a fresh examination of the relationship of Hippias Minor
to relevant works by Xenophon and Antisthenes, offering a case study
of the literary and intellectual relationships among first-generation
Socratic authors.
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Analysis, Text, Translation, and Commentary
Produktdetaljer
ISBN
9780198939924
Publisert
2025
Utgave
1. utgave
Utgiver
Oxford University Press Academic UK
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Digital bok
Forfatter