Hipparchusis a Platonic dialogue that begins abruptly with the question: "what is the love of profit, who are the profiteers?". It shows how Socrates defies conventions and seeks the root of Greek traditional ethics. Socrates dialogues with a fellow Athenian who believes that the love of profit deserves censure; he questions the young, forcing him to review his own principles and, finally, leaves him perplexed. The reference to Hipparchus comes as a detour in the dialogue. Hipparchus was the son of tyrant Pisistratus, but Socrates argues that the tyranny of Hipparchus was in fact benign and wise; that he was in fact trying to educate his fellow citizens, leading them to admire his superior wisdom. The long praise of Hipparchus is poisonous:...