Calliclès

Character appearing in the Gorgias, a dialog of Plato. Calliclès can be seen like a Sophiste and a bold Immoraliste.

The problem of its real existence is difficult to solve because it is not mentioned nowhere except in Gorgias of Plato. It is thus not known if it is of a historical character or about an invention of Plato.

Biographical elements

Character fictitious, inspired, or real?

The person of Calliclès is mentioned in no other text - which reached us - that the Gorgias . As it is possible as there never existed, and that it is an invention of the author of the dialog, Plato.

The extreme positions of Calliclès, on the Justice, the Happiness, the Moral and the daring Philosophy, and in any contrary point with the theses defended by Socrate in the dialogs of Plato, come to confirm the thesis of the invention. This invention could however have been inspired by real characters like Chariclès, Critias, Alcibiade, Isocrate, Polycrate or Denys II.

However, the Gorgias evokes many details of its life, sometimes associating it with personalities having indeed existed. Plato allots a love to him with Démos (related to the family of the author) or allots to him a friendship of childhood with eminent personages of the time. It is thus probable that the character of Calliclès really existed, but that there does not remain about it any other trace but that of the Gorgias .

It is it should be noted that the characters of the dialogs of Plato are often Greeks having existed well, among which famous names like Théétète or Protagoras, and of course Socrate.

Furnished informations by Plato

Opposition to Socrate in Gorgias

The state of the dialog before the intervention of Calliclès

The discussion with Socrate

Analyzes

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