Sophist
by Plato · Σοφιστής
Assigned by 2 of the 9 reading lists, catalogue entry only
- Written
- c. 360 BCE
- Language
- Greek
- Length
- Short · 80 ppunder 120 pages
- Difficulty
- Formidable5 of 5 for a first-year reader
We recommendComplete Works, translated by Nicholas P. White, in the volume edited by John M. CooperHackett, 1997The Cooper collection is the standard reference edition and includes this dialogue in a clear translation.
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A visitor from Elea, with the young mathematician Theaetetus as respondent, sets out to define the sophist by the method of division, splitting kinds in two until the quarry is cornered. Defining the sophist as a maker of false images requires explaining how anything can be false, which means saying that what is not in some way is, against Parmenides. The visitor commits this parricide, distinguishes five great kinds including Being, Sameness and Difference, and gives an account of false statement.
No reading guide yet
The catalogue entry above is complete: the dates, the form, the themes and every program that assigns Sophist are verified against each program's published list.
What is missing is the part that takes real work: the summary, the key passages, and a recommended translation. The edition named below is the one most programs assign, so the buy links are useful already.
