THEAETETUS

Plato

We often used the term knowledge which connotes we acquired or learned some
idea or ideas, for instance, I was taught by my teacher regarding the notion of arithmetic, shapes
and figures, ratio and proportion and the likes, I have acquainted with some piece of knowledge
about mathematics. Notwithstanding, the question is, how do I know that what I know is
knowledge? What makes knowledge knowledge that I know it is knowledge? Or simply, what is
knowledge? One of the classical accounts that attempted to unveil the quiddity of knowledge
was found in Plato’s dialogue entitle Theaetetus.

The dialogue focuses on the nature of knowledge and the aesthetic of midwifery,
which is an intellectual enterprise that the mind brings forth a noble and true birth, is the mean to
achieve what knowledge is. The first attempt to define knowledge is is quite absurd because
Theaetetus offered the object of knowledge, like, athematic, the art of cobbler and the likes,
which hoped to grasp the essence is not the knowledge itself. Again, what is knowledge?
Knowledge is perception for he who knows perceives what he knows. And such principle was
anchored on Protagoras, who asserted that man is the measure of all things, and Heraclitus, who
claimed that all things are in constant flux. All things that we perceive are in motion and is
relative to the perception of the subject. Thus, everything that the subject perceives is true for
every state of the subject at any particular instances. For instance, the subject is in health
perceives that the wine is sweet is true and when the subject is in ill perceives that the wine is
bitter which is in fact true. The one who determines the true from false, the good from evil
dreaming from awake and the likes, stemmed from the personal perception of the subject which
is in fact the veracity itself but the problem is there is no errant and no one ids false, isn’t it
obscured and obfuscated. To the extent such doctrines transcends sensations and touches and
disturbs the realm of knowledge and all of reality, even the possible ones. Everyone is true and
no one is false which is absurd, for instance, when a patient is in sick and would ask a farmer for
what is good in his conditions, then, whatever the farmer would say is true compared to what the
doctor would advise because truth is relative and the veracity itself has a built in self-
contradiction due to fact of the constant flux, thus, everything would be nothing, became
meaningless, the world lacks substance and what we know is what we don’t know. Sensation
constitute a small part of knowledge and knowledge does not consist in impressions of such
sense but in reasoning about them, and the first definition of knowledge was refuted. Theaetetus
offered again another definition of knowledge which is true opinion; and true opinion is sure
unerring, and the result which follows from it are all noble and good. And the problem left by
Socrates was that all things and everything are either known or unknown for he who knows,
cannot but know, and he who does not know, cannot know. Thus, where is false opinion? For it
would be monstrous to supposed that what he knows to be what he does not know, or what he
does not know to be what he knows, thus, if all things are things are either known or unknown,
there can be no opinion and so false opinion is excluded. For he who thinks, think some one
thing that which is, and for he who thinks of that which is not, thinks nothing and does not think
at all. Then, to think falsely is different from to think that which is not, hence, false opinion
exists in us. Such false opinion is a sort of heterodoxy; a person may make an exchange in his
mind, and say that one real thing is another real object. And what accounts for false opinion is
memory even one was acquainted with the object of knowledge. Our memory is like a waxen
blocks that sealed by an impression, recognition will takes place when the right impression of a
memory to a right visual impression, and to fit this into its own prints but if putting the vision to
a wrong impression, the, false opinion ensures. Thus, to know is to possess knowledge in
contrast to have knowledge. Imagine an aviary with various birds inside, the aviary is the mind
and the birds are bits of knowledge. False opinion is possible when he takes the wrong one by
mistake, he got hold of the ring dove when he had in his mind, when he got the pigeon. Thus,
there no deception in false opinion; deception happens when he who is ignorance thinks that his
opinion is true, and he will fancy that he knows the thing. True opinion is not knowledge at all;
for if true opinion in law courts and knowledge are the same, the perfect judge could not have
judge rightly without knowledge. Thus knowledge is true opinion, combined with reason, the
third attempt of what knowledge is ; for things which have a reason or explanation are
knowable. Socrates dreamt that primeval letters or elements out of which all things are
compound, have no reason or explanation. Many things have parts are made up of parts, but all
the parts are admitted to be the all if the entire number is all, then, the whole is not made up of
parts, for it would be the all, if consisting of all the parts. The whole is undefined because it is
consists of parts and parts have parts which reduces to the simple element but the problem is the
fundamental element is unreasonable or it not capable of explanation, hence, is not knowledge at
all. But what is explanation? There are three accounts of what explanation is; first, was the image
or expression of the mind in speech; second, a way of reaching the whole by an enumeration of
the element; and lastly, telling the mark or sign of difference which distinguishes the thing in
question from all others. The discourse ended and Socrates wasn’t able to assist Theaetetus in the
birth of what knowledge is.

The wise man is not measured by his thought inside his head but the wise man is
the one who ask a provoking question. Living our life is not measured by our grandiose wealth
nor estate, for it is an accident in life it is not the substance itself, living our life is searching to its
definition, its essence via Socratic Method that leads us to give birth what for is our life. And in
searching it, we create it, thus, we live the true life of living; that is living the essence of our life.
Life is a grace to be enjoyed and there are so immense privileges waiting for us, if we live our
life.
 THEAETETUS
Plato

A Book Report

Presented to

Rev. Fr. Marlou C. Songcayauon

Instructor

In partial Fulfillment

of the Requirement to the Course

Philosophy 111

(Epistemology)

By

Theodore Francis Calantas

AB-Philosophy IV

October 14, 2018