Editing Hippias (section)

==Life==
Hippias was born at [[Elis (city)|Elis]] in the mid 5th-century BC (c. 460 BC) and was thus a younger contemporary of [[Protagoras]] and [[Socrates]]. He lived at least as late as Socrates (399 BC). He was a disciple of Hegesidamus.<ref>Suda, ''Hippias''</ref> Owing to his talent and skill, his fellow-citizens availed themselves of his services in political matters, and in a diplomatic mission to [[Sparta]].<ref>Plato, ''Hippias major'', 281a, 286a; Philostratus, ''Vit. Soph.'' i. 11.</ref> But he was in every respect like the other sophists of the time: he travelled about in various towns and districts of [[Classical Greece|Greece]] for the purpose of teaching and public speaking. The two dialogues of [[Plato]], the ''[[Hippias major]]'' and the ''[[Hippias minor]]'' characterize him as vain and arrogant. The ''Hippias major'' (the authorship of this work by Plato is sometimes doubted) concerns the question about the [[Beauty|beautiful]], and purposely puts the knowledge and presumption of Hippias in a ludicrous light. The ''Hippias minor'' discusses the deficiency of human [[knowledge]], and characterizes Hippias as ridiculously vain.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}}