Theaetetus
Tags
Summary
Editor's review
Who it's for
A good fit for
- Philosophy students who need to read Plato's epistemological texts in the original
- General education students seeking the classical source of the "knowledge" question
- Reading group members looking for a short dialogue with argumentative tension
- Self-learners who want to train philosophical reading in English
Not a good fit for
- Complete beginners with no philosophical background who expect a popular introduction
- Readers who want ready-made conclusions and are unwilling to follow the argument
- Readers who need modern Chinese annotation or detailed commentary
Reading tips
- Read the dialogue through once, marking each point where a definition is overturned, then go back and trace the chain of argument
- Keep pen and paper to record each change in the definition of "knowledge" and compare which refutations are strongest
- Read alongside the relevant passages of the Republic to observe continuities and differences in Plato's epistemological thinking
- If the English is hard going, read a Chinese translation first for the gist, then return to the English edition to feel the argumentative tone
About the publisher
Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.
Contents
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FAQ
Can I read the Theaetetus without a philosophy background?
Is this edition in Chinese or English?
What should I focus on most in reading this dialogue?
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About the author
Plato (c. 427–347 BCE) was an ancient Greek philosopher. Reliable details of his life are limited in public sources, and his thought and writings are generally known through later accounts. The library holds 65 of his works, including the multi-volume Republic (Πολιτεία), the Symposium, and the Phaedo. These works are mostly dialogues with Socrates as the central figure, unfolding through question and answer around justice, the governance of the city, love, the soul, and knowledge, combining philosophical inquiry with dramatic literary form. The Republic, which discusses the ideal city and justice, is especially influential. Plato's style is marked by analogy, argument, and open-ended conclusions, and he has had a lasting influence on later Western philosophy and political thought.
