| The Greater Hippias is doubtless one of Plato's most comical dialogues, and reads as a scathing attack on the famous sophist, Hippias of Elis. And yet the ostensible subject of the work--- to kalon, or the beautiful and noble---is one that demands seriousness on the part of anyone interested in ancient Greek philosophy. The following thesis takes the form of a systematic commentary on the dialogue. As such, it unfolds much as the text itself does, while at the same time seeking to uncover the relevance of the dramatic elements (such as the comical tone) to the philosophic purposes of the work. More particularly, the reader of the Greater Hippias is invited to consider the status of Plato's two interlocutors with respect to beauty. The conversation depicted allows us to examine the similarities and differences between the philosopher and the sophist, as we seek with them to unravel the mysteries of 'the beautiful itself.'... |
