Critias

Virgilio Irmici (Independent Scholar - Europe)

Ed. by Laura Swift, The Open University
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.1.1: Greek Writing and Culture: Archaic, Classical, Hellenistic and Imperial, -800--100.
Vol. editors: Jonathan Burgess (University of Toronto), Giacomo Fedeli (University of Exeter), Emily Kneebone (University of Nottingham), Vaios Liapis (Open University of Cyprus), Elodie Paillard (University of Sydney), Mali Skotheim (Ashoka University), Laura Swift (The Open University)

Dates

Born -460
Died -403
Activity c. -440--403

Places

Born in Ancient Greece
Active in Ancient Greece

Activities

Primary

Playwright / Dramatist
Poet
Politician

Resources

Critias' Works

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Critias’ fame is mainly connected to his illustrious relative Plato (he appears in four of his dialogues:

Protogoras

, in which he has a minor role, as well as

Charmides

Timaeus,

and

Critias

). Therefore, when a man at the forefront of twentieth-century philosophy like Karl Popper pays him mind, it is for the sole purpose of investigating Plato’s thought and attitude towards politics (for more on Popper and Critias, see Bultrighini, 1999: 36-37). Outside the narrow circle of classicists, Critias as politician and intellectual in his own right is today no more than a name.

Life

Life

We do not know Critias’ exact date of birth, conventionally thought to be around 460 BCE. We know much more about his family, one of the most noble in the city. His relatives include Solon and Plato.

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2939 words

Citation: Irmici, Virgilio. "Critias". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 30 December 2018; last revised 12 February 2020. [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=14034, accessed 25 April 2024.]

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