Charmides
Returning from military service, Socrates meets the beautiful Charmides and asks whether he also possesses moderation. The search moves from quiet behaviour and modesty to doing one’s own work, self-knowledge and a proposed knowledge of knowledge itself.
Understanding the text
Charmides and Critias later became associated with violent oligarchic government. That historical background gives their confident discussion of moral education a troubling retrospective resonance.
Key points
- 01
From appearance to character
Beauty and good manners cannot establish whether a person possesses the virtue under investigation or understands its requirements.
- 02
Reflexive knowledge
Critias’ proposal that moderation knows itself and other kinds of knowledge raises questions about whether such a capacity is possible.
- 03
Knowledge of good
Even perfect discrimination between knowledge and ignorance would not ensure happiness without understanding which activities are beneficial.
How to read it
Mark each definition and who defends it. Read the final suggestion of coercing Socrates against the dialogue’s concern with self-mastery, rather than as an uncomplicated friendly joke.
Editions & sources
Summaries and key points are original editorial interpretations. They accompany reading the work and do not replace an edition of the text. Editorial method ↗