A Review Of Protagoras Epistemology - 1399 Words

Phillips !1 Miki Phillips PHIL1050 November 19th, 2016 A Review of Protagoras’ Epistemology in the Theaetetus Plato’s Theaetetus is the transcription of a dialogue between Socrates and a philosophical prodigy: the 15 year old Theaetetus. Socrates, on the eve of his trial and eventual execution, talks with Theaetetus after being told of their resemblance by mathematician Theodorus of Cyrene. Socrates’ purpose in the dialogue becomes a discussion of epistemology, or the theory of knowledge and how it is obtained. Socrates begs an answer for the question: â€Å"what is knowledge?† Theaetetus is understandably reluctant to give an answer, yet eventually responds as follows: At any rate, Socrates, after such an exhortation I should be ashamed of not trying to do my best. Now he who knows perceives what he knows, and, as far as I can see at present, knowledge is perception.1 Socrates applauds the young Theaetetus for his bravery in positing a solution. He also makes a connection between Theaetetus’ answer and the answer of an earlier Sophist: Well, you have delivered yourself of a very important doctrine about knowledge; it is indeed the opinion of Protagoras, who has another way of expressing it. Man, he says, is the measure of all things, of the existence of things that are, and of the non-existence of things that are not.2 1 Plato, Theaetetus, 151d. 2 Plato, Theaetetus,, 151d. Phillips !2 Socrates, never a fan of the Sophists, sought to address the intrinsic flaws underlying theShow MoreRelatedPlatos The Last Days of Socrates: Phaedo, Wisdom, and the Soul2420 Words   |  10 PagesDescartess mode of study was logic, classical studies, and Aristotelian philosophy, and Descartes came to believe that all could be reduced to mathematics. To him, mathematics was the only form of true certainty and he tried to found physics, an epistemology, and a religion (or certainty of life and God) based on this. Descartes first book, that he published posthumously; in order to avert censorship (the fate that occurred to Galileo) was on physics, called Le Monde, ou Traità © de la Lumià ¨re. He