Theaetetus

Platonis Opera, Tomus I: Tetralogia I-II. Burnet, John, 1863-1928, editor. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1905.

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This dialogue explores the fundamental question "What is knowledge (episteme)?" through a conversation among Socrates, the young mathematician Theaetetus, and the geometer Theodoros. Formatted as a reading of a recorded past conversation, the work begins with Socrates comparing his philosophical method to "midwifery," helping others bring forth and examine their own ideas. Theaetetus first proposes that "knowledge is perception," which Socrates scrutinizes by linking it to the relativism of Protagoras and the flux theory of Heraclitus. Next, they examine "knowledge as true belief," exploring the mechanism of false belief through the famous metaphors of the "wax tablet" and the "aviary." Finally, the third definition, "true belief accompanied by an explanation (logos)," is analyzed but also leads to an impasse regarding what constitutes an explanation. Ultimately, the dialogue ends in aporia (a state of puzzle) without a definitive answer, yet it succeeds in freeing Theaetetus from false knowledge and preparing him for deeper inquiry.