Resolving Inconsistencies in Plato: the Problem of Socratic Wisdom in the Apology and the Charmides

In the Apology Plato ascribes to Socrates a kind of knowledge that
distinguishes him from others, viz., the knowledge that in truth he is worthless
in respect of knowledge. Furthermore, the cultivation of this ‘Socratic wisdom’
is presented by Plato as necessary for anyone wishing to pursue the examined
life, the only life worth living for a human being, and therefore as something
that we all should seek to acquire. In the Charmides, however, Socrates argues
at length to the conclusion that such knowledge is neither possible nor, even if
it were possible, of any use. This apparent contradiction in Platonic doctrine is
the problem of Socratic wisdom in the Apology and the Charmides.
The thesis first constructs the problem of Socratic wisdom from the text of
the two dialogues. It then considers various strategies in the long tradition of
Platonic scholarship by which proposals have been made to resolve this and
other inconsistencies in Plato. These strategies are assessed and reasons are
given for preferring a recent approach called the ‘double dialogue’ reading of
Plato, which treats his works not primarily as vehicles for publishing his
doctrines, but as philosophical challenges for the reader.
The thesis then conducts a double dialogue reading of the second half of the
Charmides and demonstrates how this way of reading Plato provides a
resolution to the problem of Socratic wisdom. The resolution lies in showing
how, in the Charmides, Plato issues a challenge to the reader to address the
inadequacies of the model of knowledge that underlies the apparent success of
the dialogue’s refutation of Socratic wisdom. Thus, not only is the problem of Socratic wisdom resolved, but the double dialogue strategy of reading Plato is
validated for further employment in resolving other inconsistencies in Plato.Greek Philosophy