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Lecture 5: The Sense of Beauty
Usually translated as the “admirable,” “noble,” or “fine,” to kalon in Plato is generally parsed as “Beauty in itself” and counterposed to what is poikilon, the “ornamentation,” “embroidery,” “variety,” or “diversity” perceived by the senses. In Hippias Major and other dialogs, by contrast, including in the context of the democratic souls and constitution under scrutiny in Republic, kalon appears to be embedded with poikilia. This lecture argues for a phenomenological understanding of beauty in Plato and explores the implications of this understanding for the dialogs’ political philosophy.
Date:
24 February 2026, 17:00
Venue:
Examination Schools, 75-81 High Street OX1 4BG
Venue Details:
South School
Speaker:
Professor Jill Frank (Cornell University)
Organising department:
Faculty of History
Part of:
Carlyle Lectures in the History of Political Thought 2026: The Shape of Democracy
Booking required?:
Not required
Audience:
Members of the University only
Editor:
Belinda Clark
