Theaetetus | work by Plato | Britannica (original) (raw)
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major reference
In Plato: Late dialogues of Plato The Theaetetus considers the question “What is knowledge?” Is it perception, true belief, or true belief with an “account”? The dialogue contains a famous “digression” on the difference between the philosophical and worldly mentalities. The work ends inconclusively and may indeed be intended to show the… Read More
criticism of sensualist theory of knowledge
In Western philosophy: Philosophy …his later dialogues, especially the Theaetetus, Plato criticized an empiricist theory of knowledge, anticipating the views of 17th-century English philosophers such as Thomas Hobbes (1588–1679). In the Timaeus, Plato tried to construct a complete system of physics, partly employing Pythagorean ideas. Read More
discussed in biography of Theaetetus
In Theaetetus …subject of two dialogues—Theaetetōs (Theaetetus) and Sophistēs (Sophist)—the former being the major source of information about Theaetetus’s life, including his death in a battle between Athens and Corinth in 369 bc. Read More
epistemology
In epistemology: Plato …general be defined? In the Theaetetus Plato argues that, at a minimum, knowledge involves true belief. No one can know what is false. People may believe that they know something that is in fact false. But in that case they do not really know; they only think they know. Knowledge… Read More
