Note 64 — Chapter XXXI · KRATYLUS.

Plato, Krat. p. 436 C. Ἀλλὰ μη οὐχ οὕτως ἔχῃ, ἀλλ’ ἀναγκαῖον ᾖ, εἰδότα τίθεσθαι τὸν τιθέμενον τὰ ὀνόματα· εἰ δὲ μή, ὅπερ πάλαι ἐγὼ ἔλεγον, οὐδ’ ἂν ὀνόματα εἴη. Μέγιστον δέ σοι ἔστω τεκμήριον ὅτι οὐκ ἔσφαλται τῆς ἀληθείας ὁ τιθέμενος· οὐ γὰρ ἂν ποτε οὕτω ξύμφωνα ἦν αὐτῷ ἅπαντα. ἢ οὐκ ἐνενόεις αὐτὸς λέγων ὡς πάντα κατ’ αὐτὸ καὶ ἐπὶ ταὐτὸν ἐγίγνετο τὰ ὀνόματα;

These last words allude to the various particular etymologies which had been enumerated by Sokrates as illustrations of the Herakleitean theory. They confirm the opinion above expressed, that Plato intended his etymologies seriously, not as mockery or caricature. That Plato should have intended them as caricatures of Protagoras and Prodikus, and yet that he should introduce Kratylus as welcoming them in support of his argument, is a much greater absurdity than the supposition that Plato mistook them for admissible guesses.