ways through which the text agrees and disagrress with the arguments in The Republic
The debate on knowledge has been part of philosophy for centuries. Philosophers wrote and held discussions about the nature of consciousness and its impact on the lives of man. The rationality and beliefs held by philosophers furthered the discusions and gave justifications on their arguments. Addiionally, different schools of thought emerged all which proposed unique ideas. This essay draws attentions to Plato’s Theatetus which is set in the form of dialogue between Socrates, Theaetetus and Theodorus. Additionally, the essay will identify ways through which the text agrees and disagrress with the arguments in The Republic.
Theatetus is set in dialogue where the parties invlove hold a discussion about the nature of knowledge. The discusision is initiated by Socrates who asks the Theodorus, a tutor about any of his students with exemplary character and reasoning. Theodorus informs Socrates about the abilities of one of his students, Theatetus an orphan put into a disadvanted position by trustees who have dissipated his property. When the two meet, Socrates asks Theatetus, a geometry student if he is the posotion to have a basic formula for knwoldege. When he does not find one, Socrates then offers to assist the young student tackle that specific question so that he can replicate the formula to other aspects of his studies. Citing the example of a midwife birthing a child, Socrates alludes to the student that just like a mother in pain of labor, he too is having difficulty in thought and coming with answers to the question posed to him. As such, Socrates assumes the role of midwife whose main responsibility is to help the mother deliever the baby. In this timeline, Socrates will help the student birth his thoughts and ideas.
With this, Theaetetus gives Socrates three defiantions of knowledge that form the basis of the discusion. He argues that knowldegde can be defined as perfecption, as true belief and thirdly as true belief with an account.