Theatetus (Penguin Classics) [Paperback]

Plato (Author), Robin H. Waterfield (Translator, Introduction)

Book Description

Series: Penguin Classics | Publication Date: August 4, 1987

Set immediately prior to the trial and execution of Socrates in 399 BC, Theaetetus shows the great philosopher considering the nature of knowledge itself, in a debate with the geometrician Theodorus and his young follower Theaetetus. Their dialogue covers many questions, such as: is knowledge purely subjective, composed of the ever-changing flow of impressions we receive from the outside world? Is it better thought of as true belief'? Or is it, as many modern philosophers argue, justified true belief', in which the belief is supported by argument or evidence? With skill and eloquence, Socrates guides the debate, drawing out the implications of these theories and subjecting them to merciless and mesmerising criticism. One of the founding works of epistemology, this profound discussion of the problem of knowledge continues to intrigue and inspire.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English, Greek (translation)

About the Author

Plato (c.427-347 BC) was one of the shapers of the whole intellectual tradition of the West. He was disgusted by the corruption of Athenian political life, and the execution of his teacher Socrates. He sought cures for the ills of society in philosophy, and became convinced that those ills would not cease until philosophers became rulers, or rulers philosophers. Robin Waterfield has translated various Greek philosophical texts, and was once a commissioning editor for Penguin.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Penguin Classics (August 4, 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140444505
• ISBN-13: 978-0140444506
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #238,507 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #26 in Books > Education & Reference > Foreign Language Nonfiction > More Languages > Greek

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Early Study of Epistemology, August 13, 2009

By 

Eric Mayforth (Houston, Texas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Theatetus (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)

What is knowledge? That is the issue taken up in "Theaetetus", this dialogue from ancient Greece which is one of the seminal investigations of epistemology, the study of knowledge. In the dialogue, Socrates, Theodorus, and Theaetetus examine whether everyone's individual perceptions can be regarded as knowledge, or if knowledge must consist of either a true belief or a true belief plus a rational account.

The interlocutors do not reach a definitive conclusion concerning what knowledge is, but the dialogue is still well worth reading in the English-speaking world in the early twenty-first century, a place and time in which it is hotly debated whether truth and knowledge are absolute or relative. The final half of this volume is an interpretive essay by Robin Waterfield that discusses the dialogue and its implications, in many places comparing "Theaetetus" with other Platonic works.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Founding Epistemology, September 4, 2009

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Mr. Steiner (New York) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Theatetus (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)

Plato's Theatetus is considered the originary work of epistemological inquiry. Wittgenstein looked to this dialogue as a major source for epistemological problematics in his later philosophy, and it continues to be studied in the continental tradition as well. Socrates and Theatetus attempt to resolve the problem of defining knowledge-first by examining knowledge as a a mode of perception, then through in investigation of knowledge as correct judgment. Socrates and Theatetus give an account of the true role of 'legein' logos and speech in the final sections of the dialogue. Although nothing is resolved the basic problems of epistemology are formulated, and they remain alive to the present day.