Can we think the meaning of any being? Is it possible to adequately define the “whatness” of any entity, event, or activity? Plato’s

, one of the greatest works in the history of philosophy, approaches the question of the meaning of being by disclosing the limits of human reason (

). The Eleatic stranger ironically evokes both the possibilities and the limitations of

by providing definitions according to

(type). The stranger demonstrates that, because any category of disclosure essentially involves difference, the wholeness of any being eludes categorial analysis.

Interpretation of Sophist must be guided by the insight that no Platonic dialogue is a treatise or formulation of doctrine. Plato’s profound moments of seriousness are achieved alongside play

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Citation: Wood, Kelsey. "Sophistes". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 15 February 2005 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=13441, accessed 23 November 2024.]