Agathos kai sophos

Agathos kai sophos (Ancient Greek: ἀγαθὸς καὶ σοφὸς)[1] is a phrase coined by Plato, which literally means "wise and good" in Greek. The Athenians used this phrase to describe the qualities of an honest man.

Plato apparently derived this phrase from an earlier kalos kagathos—literally, "beautiful and good." The Greeks believed that external beauty (kalos) was associated with inner beauty, morality and virtue, suggesting that a beautiful face was the outward expression of a beautiful soul. To avoid this association, which often led to confusion, Plato reinvented the expression as agathos kai sophos, separating external beauty from the beauty of the soul.

References

  1. ↑ Meno 93e, Hippias Minor 367e.
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