Knowledge and Ignorance

Where it surfaces

• Preface to the First Edition

  The preface grapples with the problem of authenticating Plato's writings, highlighting the tension between scholarly knowledge and uncertainty about the Platonic corpus.

• Preface to the Second and Third Editions

  The preface examines the authenticity of the Epistles, highlighting historical inaccuracies and plagiarisms that reveal ignorance or forgery.

• Charmides

  The search for a definition of temperance reveals the limits of knowledge and the importance of self-knowledge, a key Socratic theme.

• Charmides

  The central puzzle: can temperance be a 'science of science' that knows both what it knows and what it does not know? Socrates exposes the paradox of knowing what one does not know.

• Lysis

  Socrates probes the limits of Lysis's understanding, highlighting the role of knowledge in forming true friendships.

• Lysis

  Socrates' method of elenchus reveals the limits of the boys' understanding, and the argument touches on the role of ignorance in desiring the good.

• Laches

  Socrates probes whether courage is a form of knowledge, and whether the interlocutors truly understand what they claim.

• Protagoras

  Socrates argues that virtue is a form of knowledge, and ignorance is the root of wrongdoing, challenging Protagoras' hedonistic calculus.

• Protagoras

  Socrates' argument that virtue is knowledge (wisdom, justice, temperance) leads to the conclusion that if virtue is knowledge, it can be taught.

• Euthydemus

  Euthydemus and Dionysodorus exploit ignorance through fallacious reasoning, while Socrates seeks true knowledge.

• Euthydemus

  The sophists' arguments revolve around the paradoxes of learning and knowing, exposing the confusion between acquiring new knowledge and reviewing what is already known.

• Cratylus

  The dialogue examines whether names can reveal truth or lead to misunderstanding.

• Cratylus

  Socrates questions whether knowledge is possible if everything is in flux, and warns against trusting names as sources of truth.

• Phaedrus

  Contrasts true knowledge gained through dialectic with mere opinion from rhetoric.

• On the Decline of Greek Literature

  The chapter contrasts the genuine knowledge sought by philosophers like Plato with the ignorance and pretension of rhetoricians and later scholastics.

• Phaedrus

  Socrates argues that true rhetoric requires knowledge of truth, not mere opinion, and criticizes ignorance in oratory.

• Ion

  Socrates contrasts true knowledge (techne) with the inspired ignorance of the rhapsode, showing Ion lacks expertise in the subjects he performs.

• Ion

  Socrates distinguishes between knowledge gained through art and the ignorance masked by divine inspiration, questioning Ion's claim to expertise.

• Symposium

  Socrates contrasts his own ignorance with Diotima's wisdom, illustrating the path from ignorance to knowledge of the Forms.

• Meno

  Socrates demonstrates the theory of recollection by guiding a slave boy to discover geometric principles, arguing that all learning is recollection of innate knowledge.

• On the Ideas of Plato

  The chapter explores how Plato's ideas represent a theory of knowledge, contrasting universal truths with sensible particulars and examining the role of reminiscence.

• Meno

  Socrates' profession of ignorance and the exploration of knowledge as recollection highlight the pursuit of true understanding.

• Euthyphro

  Euthyphro claims expert knowledge of piety but is unable to provide a consistent definition, highlighting Socratic ignorance and the pursuit of true knowledge.

• Euthyphro

  Socrates professes ignorance about piety and seeks knowledge from Euthyphro, highlighting the Socratic method of inquiry and the difficulty of defining abstract concepts.

• Apology

  Socrates famously claims that his wisdom lies in knowing that he knows nothing, contrasting human ignorance with divine wisdom.

• Apology

  Socrates explains that his wisdom consists in knowing his own ignorance, contrasting with the false wisdom of politicians, poets, and artisans.

• Phaedo

  The dialogue explores true knowledge as recollection of Forms, contrasting the philosopher's wisdom with the ignorance of the unexamined life.

• Phaedo

  Explored through the doctrine of recollection and the danger of misology.

• The Myths of Plato

  The parable of the Cave and the myth of the soul's vision of truth before birth highlight the contrast between knowledge and ignorance.

• Gorgias

  Socrates contrasts genuine knowledge (arts like medicine and justice) with irrational flattery (rhetoric and cookery).

• Introduction and Analysis

  The chapter contrasts true knowledge (ideas) with opinion (sensible world), and emphasizes that virtue is knowledge and vice arises from ignorance.

• The Republic

  Contrasts the philosopher's knowledge of the good with the ignorance of the multitude.

• Book I

  Socrates argues that the just are wise and good, while the unjust are ignorant and foolish, linking justice to knowledge.

• Book IV

  Wisdom in the state resides in the smallest class of guardians who possess knowledge of the whole, distinguishing true counsel from mere technical skill.

• Book V

  Socrates distinguishes true philosophers as lovers of the vision of truth, contrasting them with those who only perceive particular beautiful things and lack knowledge of absolute beauty.

• Book VI

  Central to the chapter, as Socrates argues that the Form of the Good is the highest knowledge, without which all other knowledge is useless.

• Book VII

  The allegory of the cave illustrates the journey from ignorance to knowledge and the responsibility to enlighten others.

• Book IX: The Tyrannical Soul and the Superiority of Justice

  Socrates contrasts the true pleasures of the wise with the illusory pleasures of the ignorant, who mistake the cessation of pain for genuine happiness.

• Timaeus

  The dialogue distinguishes between the eternal realm of Forms (true knowledge) and the changing physical world (opinion).

• Introduction and Analysis

  Explores the soul's initial lack of intelligence due to bodily sensations and the role of education in achieving rational understanding.

• Timaeus I

  The Egyptian priest criticizes the Greeks for their lack of ancient knowledge, calling them 'children' in mind, and contrasts their ignorance with Egyptian preserved wisdom.

• § II

  The chapter examines how early philosophers moved from mythological personification to abstract reasoning, grappling with the limits of knowledge and the influence of language and analogy.

• § III

  The chapter contrasts the clear knowledge of eternal forms with the 'spurious reason' used to grasp space and matter.

• § IV

  Plato's attempt to reconcile mathematical perfection with astronomical observation, and the limits of his scientific understanding.

• § V

  Discusses the rational soul's capacity for thought and the role of reason over enthusiasm in guiding man.

• § VI

  Plato's limited anatomical knowledge is contrasted with his broader philosophical system, illustrating the gap between ancient and modern understanding.

• § VII

  Plato acknowledges the limits of human knowledge regarding the proportions of colors, attributing such understanding to the gods.

• § VIII

  Explored through the contrast between reason and sense, the perfection of intelligence via the rational circle, and the limitations of human understanding of the divine.

• Timaeus

  The Egyptian priest contrasts the youthful ignorance of the Hellenes with the ancient wisdom of Egypt, highlighting the theme of knowledge versus ignorance.

• Parmenides

  Parmenides questions whether Forms can be known by humans, raising the 'third man' argument and the problem of participation.

• Introduction and Analysis

  The chapter emphasizes the danger of unexamined fundamental ideas (Unity, Being) and the need to purge errors to achieve true knowledge.

• Parmenides

  Parmenides emphasizes the need for rigorous dialectical training to attain truth, warning that without it, the ideas may remain unknown to man.

• Theaetetus

  The central theme of the dialogue, as Socrates and Theaetetus attempt to define knowledge and distinguish it from perception and true belief.

• Introduction and Analysis

  Socrates argues that perception does not reach being or truth, and that true knowledge involves the mind's grasp of abstractions such as being, sameness, and the good. The philosopher's ignorance of worldly affairs is contrasted with his pursuit of eternal truths.

• On the Nature and Limits of Psychology

  The chapter critiques sham sciences and emphasizes the need to distinguish genuine knowledge from false pretensions, urging a review of psychology's foundations.

• Theaetetus

  The central theme of the chapter: the nature of knowledge is explored through definitions (perception, true opinion, true opinion with reason) and the problem of false opinion.

• Sophist

  The dialogue explores the sophist's pretense to wisdom versus the philosopher's genuine pursuit of truth.

• Introduction and Analysis

  The chapter explores ignorance as twofold—simple ignorance and ignorance with conceit of knowledge—and distinguishes education from mere instruction.

• Sophist

  The dialogue explores the difficulty of defining the sophist, statesman, and philosopher, highlighting the challenge of distinguishing true knowledge from deceptive imitation.

• Philebus

  Socrates argues that knowledge, understanding, and wisdom are superior to pleasure in achieving the good life.

• Introduction and Analysis

  The chapter contrasts pure knowledge (dialectic) with impure sciences and guesswork, emphasizing the pursuit of eternal truth over opinion.

• Philebus

  Socrates contrasts the life of wisdom with the life of pleasure, arguing that without mind, memory, and knowledge, one cannot even know if one is pleased.

• Book IX

  Ignorance is identified as a third cause of crimes, divided into simple ignorance (lighter offences) and double ignorance with conceit of wisdom (great and monstrous crimes).

• Appendix I

  The dialogue explores the distinction between the wise and unwise, and how ignorance leads to evil while knowledge leads to goodness.

• Lesser Hippias

  Socrates contrasts voluntary and involuntary wrongdoing, linking them to knowledge and ignorance, and concludes that the wise person who errs voluntarily is better than the ignorant one who errs involuntarily.

• Lesser Hippias

  Socrates explores the paradox that the wise or skilled person can voluntarily do wrong, while the ignorant person does wrong involuntarily, leading to aporia.

• First Alcibiades

  The dialogue centers on Alcibiades' ignorance of justice, the good, and the expedient, and Socrates' argument that self-knowledge is essential for wisdom and political competence.

• First Alcibiades

  Socrates distinguishes between true knowledge, ignorance aware of itself, and the dangerous ignorance that thinks it knows, which leads to error in the greatest matters.

• Menexenus

  Socrates critiques the rhetorical tradition for producing speeches that enchant and deceive, contrasting true wisdom with the art of embellishment.

• Appendix II

  Socrates emphasizes that without knowledge of the best, other knowledge can be harmful, and that opinion devoid of intelligence leads to anarchy and lawlessness.

• Second Alcibiades

  Socrates distinguishes between technical knowledge (arts) and the knowledge of the best, arguing that ignorance of the best can be beneficial in certain cases, while knowledge without it is harmful.

• Eryxias

  The dialogue explores the relationship between wealth and wisdom, questioning whether the wisest are necessarily the richest, and examining the role of knowledge in acquiring and using wealth.

• Eryxias

  Socrates argues that wisdom is the most valuable possession, making the wise man richest, while Eryxias questions the practical utility of wisdom without material means.

• Endnotes

  Endnotes reference the Theaetetus and Protagoras' 'Truth,' engaging with themes of knowledge, language, and the nature of truth.