The Hipparchus features a conversation between Socrates and an un-named companion, at an unknown time and place, about gain and whether we should in any way limit our pursuit of gain. Socrates argues intransigently that we should not place any limits on our pursuit of gain, while the companion, despite being unable to counter his arguments, is equally firm in his rejection of Socrates’ moral position. The dialogue thus shows the strength of the conviction, in the souls of decent people, (...) that unrestrained pursuit of the good things is not good for you. This conviction exists prior to calculation, and the action of the dialogue thereby testifies to the existence of man’s natural conscience. (shrink)

The translation of Apology 30b 2–4 has long been controversial. The standard translation of this sentence reveals a Socrates who wants to highlight a problem about virtue by making an extremely optimistic statement about it; the alternative translation supported by Myles Burnyeat and Christopher Rowe would suppress the problem by appearing to resolve it. A detailed examination of Socrates’ speech at 28b–31c, defending the nobility of his Delphic activity, finds fault with the resolution proposed by Burnyeat and Rowe, shows how (...) Socrates’ speech is informed by his clear awareness of human hopes for virtue, highlights his clarity about his situation, and addresses the question of the character of the Socratic virtue or toughness that is the by-product of his activity. (shrink)