Introducing Plato 's Theaetetus : A Dialogue About The Nature And / Or Limits Of Human Knowledge

Although being able to provide a true opinion through a medium which people can understand is an important part of knowledge, the account is still lacks an explanation that shows understanding of the object or subject discussed in the true opinion. Plato’s second version of account seems to be an attempt to fix this portion of the first

In this dialogue, Plato writes about a conversation between an old Socrates, and a young student Theaetetus (who would later become a legendary warrior and leader). The purpose of this dialogue was to determine what knowledge was, and then to assert a final claim as to the true definition of knowledge. Socrates poses the question as to what knowledge is, to Theaetetus, who provides four definitions; each of which (except the final definition) is dismantled by Socrates in order to push for a clearer definition. The definitions provided are as follows: knowledge is a list of learned subjects, knowledge is perception, knowledge is true judgment, and finally, knowledge is true Judgement with an account.

Plato’s Theaetetus starts off with Euclid of Megara by speaking with his friend Terpsion about a dialogue he has between Socrates and Theaetetus. He says, that the dialogue was from when Theaetetus was young. Euclid of Megara’s conversation with Terpsion acts as the structure for the dialogue itself. The other participants of the dialogue are Socrates, Theodorus, and Theaetetus. The question that the participants are asking is “what is knowledge?” Theaetetus gives four definitions to the question “what is knowledge?” The first being that knowledge is arts and sciences, the second being knowledge is sense-perception, the third that knowledge is true judgment, and the fourth being knowledge is true judgment with an account. But Socrates was

Plato is remembered as one of the worlds best known philosophers who along with his writings are widely studied. Plato was a student of the great Greek philosopher Socrates and later went on to be the teacher of Aristotle. Plato’s writings such as “The Republic”, “Apology” and “Symposium” reveal a great amount of insight on what was central to his worldview. He was a true philosopher as he was constantly searching for wisdom and believed questioning every aspect of life would lead him to the knowledge he sought. He was disgusted with the common occurrence of Greeks not thinking for themselves but simply accepting the popular opinion also known as doxa. Plato believed that we ought to search for and meditate on the ideal versions of beauty, justice, wisdom, and other concepts which he referred to as the forms. His hostility towards doxa, theory of the forms, and perspective on reality were the central ideas that shaped Plato’s worldview and led him to be the great philosopher who is still revered today.

In the Meno, Plato believes that true beliefs becomes knowledge by the grounding true belief. As mentioned before, if virtue is x, then it can be taught (because knowledge can be taught), therefore virtue (x) is equal to knowledge. Plato's expositions of elements of his own theory of knowledge, yet, the investigation of knowledge is indirect. I believe Socrates states that everyone was born with a knowledge of right and wrong, he / she needed to experience situations where he / she needed to recall this knowledge. He makes reference to the initial knowledge being in the soul.

Plato is, in essence, alleging that the one who is offered – and the one who seizes – the opportunity to traverse “the intelligible realm,” or “the realm of knowledge” (63), cannot – and will not – be romanced by notions of returning to the other, more primitive state of existence, even if retreating to this state means that he, or she, will be bequeathed a certain measure of “prestige and credit” (62); that the one who has seen both insuperable marvels and the unsurmountable truth will, being wholly engrossed by, or taken with, these, opt to cling to their memory, even when, in doing so, he will be resigning – or, perhaps, condemning – himself to an existence governed by isolation. Plato is intimating that unaffected “truth and knowledge” are so incredibly rewarding in and of themselves that one could, and would, be happy and willing to eschew all else – including societal conventions and standing – in their pursuit.

Plato's realist views on knowledge are grounded in his theory of Forms. This theory posited that each material object in the world was a pallid imitation of a perfect ideal form. (Phaedo, 73a 74b). This means that the material world, known to us through sense-perception, is not the real world, but a world of imitations. (Republic, 507c-509b). The real world, rather, consists of abstract, yet solid forms. Plato establishes his view as Realist here because he does believe that there is a real world that not only exists independent of our experience, but is actually obscured by it.

In Plato’s Theaetetus, Socrates starts his discussion by asking Theaetetus to define the word knowledge. In response to Socrates’ question, Theaetetus responds by saying, “geometry…cobblery, and other craftsmen’s arts…are nothing else but knowledge” (Plato, 2). Though true, Plato is not satisfied with Theaetetus’ definition of knowledge because it fails to address the core meaning of the word. Plato is interested in understanding the definition of knowledge through conceptual analysis— understanding the minimum requirements for one to have knowledge, and avoiding circularity in definitions. In order to define knowledge through conceptual analysis, Socrates and Plato outline the argument as

Socrates, as one of the most well-known of the early philosophers, characterizes the idea of a pursuer of wisdom as he travels around Athens searching for the true meaning of wisdom. Socrates states, “I know that I am intelligent, because I know that I know nothing” (Socrates). Throughout Plato’s early writings, he, and Socrates search for meanings of undefined concepts, such as truth, wisdom, knowledge, virtue, happiness, and beauty. Socrates is often used as a foundation for Plato’s ideas and thoughts about the world; no one cannot be sure that they had the same idea, but it appears both men would both agree that the discussion of wisdom was the best way to go about obtaining the definitions they sought to go with understanding

Plato starts with the analogy of the sun, which points out the contrast between the visible and the intelligible worlds. Within the visible world man has eyes and objects to be seen, but man needs another object for the eyes to see the object. This object is the sun, which provides the light that is required by the eye to view the visible world. In correspondence, the Form of the Good in the intelligible world is equal to the sun by the way that the Good allows the forms to be known. Plato specifically states, “What gives truth to the things known and the power to know to the knower is the Form of the Good. And though it is the cause of knowledge and truth, it is also an object of knowledge” (508e). Along with

Socrates was a great teacher and one who utilized the mind of his students more than any other resource. He wanted them to be able to come to their own conclusions, with his prompting. Theaetetus is one of the students that he pushes to discover that perception and knowledge are not in fact the same thing, as he had previously thought. Socrates slowly leads him to this discovery by first setting up multiple premises, and helping Theaetetus deduce from them.

The fourth question, what is knowledge?, Plato answer was it is attainable but it requires effort. Aristotle answer was the soul or mind begins to acquire knowledge through a sense of experience of things, but achieves full knowledge through abstracting the Forms from the things. The fifth question, what is the problem?, Plato answer was failure of people to seek the true good of the mind or soul. Aristotle answer was failure to use ones reason is the chief theoretical or intellectual vice. The sixth question, what is the solution? Plato answer was to be happy even if the society as a whole does not do this. Also the love of wisdom is still the greatest good of the mind or soul and therefore, the mind or soul prepares itself to return to the realm of the Forms when death frees it from the body. Aristotle answer was learn to use reason, both practical and intellectual, and through this it brings the greatest happiness in this life, and there is no indication of afterlife.

       The theory of the Ideas is the base of Plato’s philosophy: the Ideas are not only the real objects ontologically speaking, but they are the authentically objects of knowledge epistemologically speaking. From  the point of view  of ethics and  politics,  they are the foundation of  the right behaviour,  and anthropologically speaking they are  the base  of Plato’s dualism and they even allow him demonstrate  the immortality of  the soul.

Plato argued that true knowledge was not obtained through the knowledge of the physical world around us, but from these unchanging ideas. Plato’s theory of knowledge is well explained through his discussion of the Divided Line; a line divided into two unequal parts. One section represents the visible order and the other intelligible order, relating to opinion and knowledge, respectively. The stages of cognition flow upwards: imagining, belief, thinking, and intelligence. The visible, changing world of opinion begins with the awareness of images through perception. Awareness of images can include

In order to compare these great philosophers, it is important that we first of all view their history from an individual perspective.