Hesiod in Plato’s Cratylus

Abstract

This chapter explores Plato’s interaction with Hesiod the language expert in his Cratylus. On a basic level, Plato often invokes Hesiod by quoting from his works in order to lend support to a certain thesis that one of the interlocutors proposes. More importantly, there is a different mode of interaction as well, i.e. the intellectual affinity that may exist between the two authors in matters pertaining to language. From the ensuing discussion, it emerges that both authors show that names and their etymology have some value insofar as they enable us to search for the truth. But knowing a name and its etymology does not enable us to grasp the meaning of the denotatum tout court.