# Theaetetus — Dialogues character guide

> Theaetetus in Dialogues by Plato.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** the youthful Theaetetus

**First appearance:** 0084-theaetetus

## Snapshot

The young mathematician from Sunium whose modesty and quick mind make him the ideal partner for Socrates' inquiry into what knowledge actually is.

## Who they are

Theaetetus is introduced by Theodorus as a promising student of geometry, and he agrees to answer Socrates' questions even though he warns that he may tire. He is earnest, self-deprecating, and willing to follow an argument wherever it leads, which is exactly the temperament the dialogue needs. His attempts to define knowledge, and his willingness to abandon each definition when it fails, give the Theaetetus its distinctive combination of intellectual rigor and youthful honesty.

## Relationships

### [Socrates](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dialogues_se/characters/socrates)

_professional_

Socrates questions the young mathematician Theaetetus about the nature of knowledge in a midwifery-like dialogue.

### [Socrates](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dialogues_se/characters/socrates)

_professional_

Socrates questions the young mathematician Theaetetus about the nature of knowledge in a midwifery-like dialogue.

## In the story

### [Theaetetus](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dialogues_se/chapters/theaetetus)

The young mathematician who proposes and defends various definitions of knowledge.

### [Introduction and Analysis](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dialogues_se/chapters/introduction-and-analysis)

Young mathematician whose definition of knowledge as perception is being examined; insists on considering the doctrine of rest.

### [Theaetetus](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dialogues_se/chapters/theaetetus)

The young mathematician who is the primary respondent, offering definitions of knowledge and engaging with Socrates' challenges.

### [Sophist](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dialogues_se/chapters/sophist)

Responds to the Stranger's questions, assisting in the dialectical process of defining the sophist.

### [Introduction and Analysis](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dialogues_se/chapters/introduction-and-analysis)

The youthful interlocutor in the Sophist dialogue, with whom Socrates claims an affinity based on his ugly face.

### [Sophist](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dialogues_se/chapters/sophist)

Selected by Socrates as the respondent for the Stranger; engages in the dialectical inquiry.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dialogues_se/characters/theaetetus
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- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dialogues_se/characters