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What does it mean to be defeated by pleasures? Hedonism and akrasia in Plato’s Protagoras

Authors

JUAN PABLO FIGUEROA CRIVELLI Universidad del Norte Santo Tomás de Aquino https://orcid.org/0009-0003-1227-1297

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Keywords:

pleasure, good, hedonism, virtue, Plato

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the final argument of Protagoras, where Socrates introduces the question of pleasure and its relation to the good. In order to do so, it is necessary to consider the initial arguments where the question of the teachability of virtue (aretê) and the subsequent attempt to reach a unifying criterion, one which will focus on its sapiential character. This itinerary will allow us to shed light on the Socratic arguments from 351b onwards and the introduction of hedonism, which will enable us to delimit Socrates' position in relation to the problem of akrasia. The knowledge of the virtues –understood as wisdom– will be a necessary condition for right action, and, consequently, whoever is overcome by pleasure in reality ignores what is really best.

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2025-07-01

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FIGUEROA CRIVELLI, J. P. (2025). What does it mean to be defeated by pleasures? Hedonism and akrasia in Plato’s Protagoras. New Itinerary, 21(1), 1–23. https://doi.org/10.30972/nvt.2118420

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Vol. 21 No. 1 (2025)

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Artículos

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

Les autores ceden a Nuevo Itinerario los derechos de publicidad de sus trabajos, toda vez que hayan sido admitidos como parte de alguno de sus números. Ello no obstante, les autores retienen los derechos de propiedad intelectual y responsabilidad ética así como la posibilidad de dar difusión propia por los medios que consideren.