Abstract

In Sophist 247d8-e4, the Eleatic Stranger presents an horos of Being as dunamis tou poiein kai tou pathein. This paper aims to investigate the meaning of this horos and to establish the value set on dunamis. A comparison with other Platonic passages where the formula occurs (Phaedrus and Theaetetus) reveals that the Sophist provides a double change : on the one hand, the dunamis moves to the field of Being in an unprecedented way, on the other hand the formula is not ascribed to Hippocrates or Protagoras anymore, but it is introduced by a protagonist who intends to defend it. A reading of the previous and following arguments shows that the horos can thoroughly help to understand the dialogue’s structure and argumentation. Not only useful for defining Being, it also permits to explain the koinonia of the Kinds and to lay the foundation for the theory of nonbeing. Finally, it proves an efficient mean of definitely going beyond sophistry by replacing it with a real and philosophical ontology.