About this ebook
Cratylus is a dialogue by Plato that examines the nature and correctness of language. It questions whether names inherently reflect the essence of things or arise purely from social convention. Through exchanges with Hermogenes and Cratylus, Socrates explores whether language can embody truth or merely serve as a product of agreement. Hermogenes argues that names are conventional, while Cratylus insists they must reveal the true nature of their objects. The dialogue integrates humor and satire while raising profound questions about the relationship between language, knowledge, and reality.
About the author
Plato was born around 428 BCE in Athens and became a disciple of Socrates, deepening philosophical thought with his central idea of Forms, which sought truth beyond the sensory world. He founded the Academy, the first higher learning institution in the West, where philosophy, mathematics, and politics were taught, laying the foundation of Western intellectual tradition. In works such as The Republic and The Symposium, he explored justice, the soul, love, and the ideal state, profoundly shaping political philosophy and ethics. His influence extended to later thinkers like Aristotle, forming the roots of Western philosophy. He died around 348 BCE, yet his ideas continue to live on across philosophy and the humanities.
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