CHAPTER XIII.

HIPPIAS MAJOR--HIPPIAS MINOR.

Hippias Major--situation supposed--character of the dialogue. Sarcasm and mockery against Hippias 33

Real debate between the historical Sokrates and Hippias in the Xenophontic Memorabilia--subject of that debate 34

Opening of the Hippias Major**--Hippias describes the successful circuit which he had made through Greece, and the renown as well as the gain acquired by his lectures 35

Hippias had met with no success at Sparta. Why the Spartans did not admit his instructions--their law forbids _ib._

Question, What is law? The law-makers always aim at the Profitable, but sometimes fail to attain it. When they fail, they fail to attain law. The lawful is the Profitable: the Unprofitable is also unlawful 36

Comparison of the argument of the Platonic Sokrates with that of the Xenophontic Sokrates 37

The Just or Good is the beneficial or profitable. This is the only explanation which Plato ever gives and to this he does not always adhere 38

Lectures of Hippias at Sparta not upon geometry, or astronomy, &c., but upon the question--What pursuits are beautiful, fine, and honourable for youth? 39

Question put by Sokrates, in the name of a friend in the background, who has just been puzzling him with it--What is the Beautiful? _ib._

Hippias thinks the question easy to answer 40

Justice, Wisdom, Beauty must each be something. What is Beauty, or the Beautiful? _ib._

Hippias does not understand the question. He answers by indicating one particularly beautiful object _ib._

Cross-questioning by Sokrates--Other things also are beautiful; but each thing is beautiful only by comparison, or under some particular circumstances--it is sometimes beautiful, sometimes not beautiful 41

Second answer of Hippias--_ Gold_, is that by the presence of which all things become beautiful--scrutiny applied to the answer. Complaint by Hippias about vulgar analogies _ib._

Third answer of Hippias--questions upon it--proof given that it fails of universal application 42

Farther answers, suggested by Sokrates himself--1. The Suitable or Becoming--objections thereunto--it is rejected 43

2. The useful or profitable--objections--it will not hold 44

3. The Beautiful is a variety of the Pleasurable--that which is received through the eye and the ear 45

Objections to this last--What property is there common to both sight and hearing, which confers upon the pleasures of these two senses the exclusive privilege of being beautiful? _ib._

Answer--There is, belonging to each and to both in common, the property of being innocuous and profitable pleasures--upon this ground they are called beautiful 46

This will not hold--the Profitable is the cause of Good, and is therefore different from Good--to say that the beautiful is the Profitable, is to say that it is different from Good but this has been already declared inadmissible _ib._

Remarks upon the Dialogue--the explanations ascribed to Hippias are special conspicuous examples: those ascribed to Sokrates are attempts to assign some general concept 47

Analogy between the explanations here ascribed to Sokrates, and those given by the Xenophontic Sokrates in the Memorabilia 49

Concluding thrust exchanged between Hippias and Sokrates 51

Rhetoric against Dialectic 52

Men who dealt with real life, contrasted with the speculative and analytical philosophers _ib._

Concrete Aggregates--abstract or logical Aggregates. Distinct aptitudes required by Aristotle for the Dialectician 53

Antithesis of Absolute and Relative, here brought into debate by Plato, in regard to the Idea of Beauty 54

Hippias Minor--characters and situation supposed 55

Hippias has just delivered a lecture, in which he extols Achilles as better than Odysseus--the veracious and straightforward hero better than the mendacious and crafty 56

This is contested by Sokrates. The veracious man and the mendacious man are one and the same--the only man who can answer truly if he chooses, is he who can also answer falsely if he chooses, _i. e._ the knowing man--the ignorant man cannot make sure of doing either the one or the other 57

Analogy of special arts--it is only the arithmetician who can speak falsely on a question of arithmetic when he chooses _ib._

View of Sokrates respecting Achilles in the Iliad. He thinks that Achilles speaks falsehood cleverly. Hippias maintains that if Achilles ever speaks falsehood, it is with an innocent purpose, whereas Odysseus does the like with fraudulent purpose 58

Issue here taken--Sokrates contends that those who hurt, or cheat, or lie wilfully, are better than those who do the like unwillingly--he entreats Hippias to enlighten him and answer his questions _ib._

Questions of Sokrates--multiplied analogies of the special arts. The unskilful artist, who runs, wrestles, or sings badly, whether he will or not, is worse than the skilful, who can sing well when he chooses, but can also sing badly when he chooses 59

It is better to have the mind of a bowman who misses his mark only by design, than that of one who misses even when he intends to hit 60

Dissent and repugnance of Hippias _ib._

Conclusion--That none but the good man can do evil wilfully: the bad man does evil unwillingly. Hippias cannot resist the reasoning, but will not accept the conclusion--Sokrates confesses his perplexity 61

Remarks on the dialogue. If the parts had been inverted, the dialogue would have been cited by critics as a specimen of the sophistry and corruption of the Sophists 62

Polemical purpose of the dialogue--Hippias humiliated by Sokrates 63

Philosophical purpose of the dialogue--theory of the Dialogues of Search generally, and of Knowledge as understood by Plato _ib._

The Hippias is an exemplification of this theory--Sokrates sets forth a case of confusion, and avows his inability to clear it up. Confusion shown up in the Lesser Hippias--Error in the Greater 64

The thesis maintained here by Sokrates, is also affirmed by the historical Sokrates in the Xenophontic Memorabilia 66

Aristotle combats the thesis. Arguments against it 67

Mistake of Sokrates and Plato in dwelling too exclusively on the intellectual conditions of human conduct _ib._

They rely too much on the analogy of the special arts--they take no note of the tacit assumptions underlying the epithets of praise and blame 68

Value of a Dialogue of Search, that it shall be suggestive, and that it shall bring before us different aspects of the question under review 69

Antithesis between Rhetoric and Dialectic 70