Hippias

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Hippias of Elis
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Hippias of Elis (/ˈhɪpiəs/; Greek: Ἱππίας ὁ Ἠλεῖος; late 5th century BC) was a Greek sophist, and a contemporary of Socrates. With an assurance characteristic of the later sophists, he claimed to be regarded as an authority on all subjects, and lectured on poetry, grammar, history, politics, mathematics, and much else.[1] Most current knowledge of him is derived from Plato, who characterizes him as vain and arrogant.

Life

Hippias was born at

Hippias minor characterize him as vain and arrogant. The Hippias major (the authorship of this work by Plato is sometimes doubted) concerns the question about the beautiful, and purposely puts the knowledge and presumption of Hippias in a ludicrous light. The Hippias minor discusses the deficiency of humanknowledge, and characterizes Hippias as ridiculously vain.[1]

Work

Hippias was a man of very extensive knowledge, and he occupied himself not only with

shoes.[4] He was credited with a lost work known as the Olympionikō̂n Anagraphḗ (Ὀλυμπιονικῶν Ἀναγραφή) which computed Coroebus's victory as occurring in 776 BC and became the basis of all later lists of the Olympiads and their victors.[5] On the other hand, his knowledge always appears superficial, he does not enter into the details of any particular art or science, and is satisfied with certain generalities, which enabled him to speak on everything without a thorough knowledge of any. This arrogance, combined with ignorance, is the main cause which provoked Plato to his severe criticism of Hippias, as the sophist enjoyed a very extensive reputation, and thus had a large influence upon the education of the youths of the higher classes. Plutarch also criticized Hippias in The Life of Numa in Parallel Lives when writing about the chronology of Numa's relationship with Pythagoras, mentioning that the chronology was based on the Olympionikō̂n Anagraphḗ and stating that Hippias had no authoritative basis on his work.[6] A mathematical discovery ascribed to Hippias is sometimes called the quadratrix
of Hippias.

His great skill seems to have consisted in delivering grand show speeches; and Plato has him arrogantly declaring that he would travel to

tragedies, dithyrambs, and various orations,[8] as well as works on grammar, music, rhythm, harmony, and a variety of other subjects.[9] He seems to have been especially fond of choosing antiquarian and mythical subjects for his show speeches. Athenaeus mentions a work of Hippias under the title Synagoge which is otherwise unknown.[10] An epigram of his is preserved in Pausanias.[11]

Natural law

Hippias is credited with originating the idea of natural law. This ideal began at first during the fifth century B.C. According to Hippias, natural law was never to be superseded as it was universal.[12] Hippias saw natural law as a habitual entity that humans take part in without pre-meditation. He regarded the elite in states as indistinguishable from one another and thus they should perceive each other as so. Because of this, he reasons, they should consider and treat each other as a society of a unanimous state. These ideas were passed on through Cynicism and Stoicism, later being the foundation for turning Roman law in legislation.[13] Along with natural law, Hippias also wrote about self-sufficiency as a binding principle. He used this principle in his teachings as he gathered knowledge in numerous subjects, so as to be never outwitted or have his reputation questioned.[14]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ a b Chisholm 1911.
  2. ^ Suda, Hippias
  3. ^ Plato, Hippias major, 281a, 286a; Philostratus, Vit. Soph. i. 11.
  4. ^ Plato, Hippias major, 285c, Hippias minor, 368b, Protagoras, 315c; Philostratus, Vit. Soph. i. 11.; Themistius, Orat. xxix. p. 345. d.
  5. doi:10.1515/9783110931419.319
    .
  6. ^ "Plutarch • Life of Numa". penelope.uchicago.edu. Retrieved 2023-11-25.
  7. ^ Plat. Hippias minor, 363
  8. ^ Plato Hippias minor, 368
  9. ^ Plato, Hippias major, 285ff; comp. Philostratus, Vit. Soph. i. 11.; Plutarch, Num. 1, 23; Dio Chrysostom, Orat. lxxi.
  10. ^ Athenaeus, xiii. 609
  11. ^ Pausanias, v. 25
  12. ISBN 0812694546
    .
  13. ^ "Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy". Retrieved 17 February 2014.
  14. ISBN 0872205568
    .

References

External links


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