Hippias Minor

work by Plato

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June 29, 2026

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The dialogue Hippias Minor is one of Plato's early works, featuring a conversation between Socrates and the Sophist Hippias of Elis. The discussion centers on Homer and the nature of wrongdoing. Socrates probes whether a person who intentionally does wrong is superior to one who does so unintentionally, a concept Hippias struggles to grasp.12

Hippias of Elis was a prominent Sophist known for his lectures on a wide range of subjects, including mathematics, poetry, and history. While he made contributions to mathematics, including the discovery of a curve called the quadratrix, none of his extensive writings survive. Plato's dialogues, including Hippias Minor, offer insights into the philosophical debates of the time, often portraying Socrates testing the knowledge of his contemporaries.12

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Plato
Early dialogues of Plato
In the Hippias Minor, discussion of Homer by a visiting Sophist leads to an examination by Socrates, which the Sophist fails, on such questions as whether a just person who does wrong on purpose is better than other wrongdoers. The Ion considers professional reciters of poetry and…
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In the Hippias Minor, discussion of Homer by a visiting Sophist leads to an examination by Socrates, which the Sophist fails, on such questions as whether a just person who does wrong on purpose is better than other wrongdoers. The Ion considers professional reciters of poetry and…
Read More