Theaetetus Review

Theaetetus By Plato
                …all of these off-springs are wind-eggs and not worth bringing up

Plato’s contribution to epistemology can be distinctly perceived and possessed as knowledge through this text. In this dialogue, Plato tries to examine the question “what is knowledge?” unsuccessfully. And yet he tells us “What knowledge is not?”. The famous Socrates belief, the one who knows that he does not know is wiser than the one who thinks one knows and does not know, is tacitly manifested in this dialogue.

Besides a few hasty conclusions and abstract arguments, this text is unerring. Moreover, though the language is simple, the flow of language is a little turbid. Sometimes, the paraphrased theories are less decipherable than the original theories.Also, some part of the text will require the reader to know a bit about epistemology thereby making it esoteric. Sometimes the Socratic portion does not appear to be quite like the standard Socratic dialogues .All the same, this text stands as the seed of epistemology which sprouted into a separate branch of philosophy proving that this text is as significant as Plato’s work of forms if not more. Moreover, some of the arguments are difficult to refute despite the widened human vision of modern era. The simile of bird’s cage used by Socrates to help Theaetetus envisage the concept of “possession of knowledge” and “having knowledge” is awfully commendable inasmuch as it makes one realize that re-learning is different from learning. This example alone makes this text worthwhile.

Read it to “possess the knowledge” of what knowledge is not. Re-read it to “have knowledge” of the possessed knowledge.