Porphyry tells us that Plotinus did not bestow any titles upon his own discourses. The titles were bestowed by his disciples; who did not always agree, but gave different titles to the same discourse (Porphyry, Vit. Plotin. 4).
The following table exhibits this philosophical classification of Thrasyllus:—
Table I.
| PHILOSOPHICAL DISTRIBUTION OF THE WORKS OF PLATO BY THRASYLLUS. | |
| I. Dialogues of Investigation. | II. Dialogues of Exposition. |
| Searching Dialogues. | Guiding Dialogues |
| Ζητητικοί. | Ὑφηγητικοί. |
| I. Dialogues of investigation. | |||
| Gymnastic. | Agonistic. | ||
| Μαιευτικοί. | Πειραστικοί. | Ἐνδεικτικοί. | Ἀνατρεπτικποί. |
| Obstetric. | Peirastic. | Probative. | Refutative. |
| — | — | — | — |
| Alkibiadês I. | Charmidês. | Protagoras. | Euthydêmus. |
| Alkibiadês II. | Menon. | Gorgias. | |
| Theagês. | Ion. | Hippias I. | |
| Lachês. | Euthyphron. | Hippias II. | |
| Lysis. | |||
| II. Dialogues of Exposition. | |||
| Theoretical. | Practical. | ||
| Φυσικοί. | Λογικοί. | Ἠθικοί. | Πολιτικοί. |
| Physical. | Logical. | Ethical. | Political. |
| — | — | — | — |
| Timæus. | Kratylus. | Apology. | Republic. |
| Sophistês. | Kriton. | Kritias. | |
| Politikus. | Phædon. | Minos. | |
| Parmenidês. | Phædrus. | Leges. | |
| Theætêtus. | Symposion. | Epinomis. | |
| Menexenus. | |||
| Kleitophon. | |||
| Epistolæ. | |||
| Philêbus. | |||
| Hipparchus. | |||
| Rivales. | |||
I now subjoin a second Table, containing the Dramatic Distribution of the Platonic Dialogues, with the Philosophical Distribution combined or attached to it.
Table II.