Why No ἀγαθός May Exist: the Reasons for an Afterthought (Plat. Hippias Minor, 376b 5-6)

Abstract

In the Hippias minor, starting from the demonstration that «the truth-teller
and the liar are one and the same person», Socrates concludes with defining the “good
man”, or agathos, as the agent being capable to act justly as well as unjustly with full
lucidity and deliberation. He then adds, «provided such an individual exists». This
final remark is usually understood as an extra-textual reference to the well-known
Socratic idea that «no one errs willingly». An infra-textual discussion of some logical
and grammatical procedures applied by Socrates in this dialogue may however suggest
a different meaning: in all fields of action, including “justice”, human “excellence”
should always be considered as limited and provisional.