Abstract

This article continues the theme of Plato’s axiology. The author analyzes the dialogue “Lysis” in order explore the origins of philosophical doctrine of valuable in ancient intellectual tradition. The essence of friendship is discussed in this dialogue. Socrates concludes that friendship is irrelevant to the good or to the bad. Friendship occurs only in the sphere of the “third” – neither good nor bad. Static nature of the “goodness” in itself and dynamic state of “neither goodness nor evil” are the bases of practical conclusion about the communicative axiological nature of “intermediate”. Understanding of friendship is further based on this conclusion. Theoretical operation which allows distinguishing values according to their statuses is applied in the dialogue to individual “preferences”. Plato’s “Lysis” therefore represents one of the first and most important steps towards the gradual formation of the European philosophical axiology.