Cratylus

by Plato, C.D.C. Reeve (Translator)

"It is. . . remarkable that Reeve's is the first new English translation since Fowler's Loeb edition of 1926. Fortunately, Reeve has done an excellent job. His version is not slavishly literal but is in general very accurate. It is also very clear and readable. Reeve is particularly to be congratulated for having produced versions of some of the more torturous passages, which are not only faithful to the text but also make good sense in English. The long and detailed introduction is worth reading in its own right." --R. F. Stalley, The Classical Review

Genres: Philosophy, Classics, Nonfiction, Ancient, Linguistics, Language, Ancient History

120 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 351

About the author

Plato (Greek: Πλάτων), born Aristocles (c. 427 – 348 BC), was an ancient Greek philosopher of the Classical period who is considered a foundational thinker in Western philosophy and an innovator of the written dialogue and dialectic forms. He raised problems for what became all the major areas of both theoretical philosophy and practical philosophy, and was the founder of the Platonic Academy, a philosophical school in Athens where Plato taught the doctrines that would later become known as Platonism.
Plato's most famous contribution is the theory of forms (or ideas), which has been interpreted as advancing a solution to what is now known as the problem of universals. He was decisively influenced by the pre-Socratic thinkers Pythagoras, Heraclitus, and Parmenides, although much of what is known about them is derived from Plato himself.
Along with his teacher Socrates, and Aristotle, his student, Plato is a central figure in the history of philosophy. Plato's entire body of work is believed to have survived intact for over 2,400 years—unlike that of nearly all of his contemporaries. Although their popularity has fluctuated, they have consistently been read and studied through the ages. Through Neoplatonism, he also greatly influenced both Christian and Islamic philosophy. In modern times, Alfred North Whitehead famously said: "the safest general characterization of the European philosophical tradition is that it consists of a series of footnotes to Plato."

Reviews

[Cristina - Athenae Noctua]

Cratilo anticipa i dubbi che hanno condotto la linguistica a Ferdinand de Saussure, affrontando la delicata questione del rapporto fra le parole e le cose: sebbene l'argomentazione non sia affatto fluida e, al contrario di altri dialoghi platonici, non ci si possa appoggiare a qualche mito o a pagine di rara grandezza e nonostante diverse contraddizioni, si incontra qui una complessa prova di dialettica, che, per ammissione dello stesso Socrate, non può pervenire ad un risultato stabile.
http://athenaenoctua2013.blogspot.it/...

[Andrea Forcella]

Bella la prima sulla creazione dei nomi e l'ultima sulla loro inaffidabilità ai fini della ricerca della verità. In mezzo tantissime etimologie, un po' difficili per chi non ha dimestichezza con il greco antico. Bellissimi e utili i paragoni fra l'arte di creare le parole e le altre arti, fra cui la forgiatura e la pittura.

[GONZA]

Questo dialogo mi ha un po'annoiato, forse perché non conosco assolutamente il greco antico quindi tutto questo discutere della ragione delle parole e dei nomi non mi ha affascinato come al solito, per quanto questa versione ironica di Socrate era diverente.

[Daria]

Caro, non sai che i primi nomi posti sono stati ormai seppelliti da coloro che volevano teatralizzarli, aggiungendo e levando lettere in vista di una gradevole pronuncia e rivoltandoli in ogni modo, e per abbellimento e per il tempo?