ABSTRACT
Hermogenes has been arguing with Cratylus about names. Cratylus has been maintaining that the correctness of names is a matter of nature. Hermogenes has been maintaining the opposite, that the correctness of names is a matter of convention. And Hermogenes has understandably been rather upset by one of the illustrations Cratylus has given for his thesis. This is how, at Cratylus 383 b 27, Hermogenes reports some of their earlier discussion:
.. . So I ask hirn if he has in truth the name 'Cratylus', and he agrees that he does. I then said 'What about Socrates? Wh at name does he have in truth?'
