Dialogue

  1 Intro|     supplements the question of false opinion which is raised in the Theaetetus. (
  2 Intro|           difficulty respecting false opinion. The humorous illustrations,
  3 Intro|              the philosopher,—between opinion and knowledge,—between the
  4 Intro|          stages, in which perception, opinion, reasoning are successively
  5 Intro|               that ‘knowledge is true opinion.’ But how is false opinion
  6 Intro|            opinion.’ But how is false opinion possible? The Megarian or
  7 Intro|          natural order in looking for opinion before we have found knowledge?
  8 Intro|             And knowledge is not true opinion; for the Athenian dicasts
  9 Intro|            Athenian dicasts have true opinion but not knowledge. What
 10 Intro|       knowledge? We answer (3), ‘True opinion, with definition or explanation.’
 11 Intro|           Plato is expressing his own opinion. The dramatic character
 12 Intro|           into the simple;’ or ‘right opinion with a mark of difference.’~...~
 13 Intro|              driven out of his former opinion by the arguments of Socrates.~
 14 Intro|               man be cured of a false opinion, for there is no such thing;
 15 Intro|              generates in him an evil opinion. This is effected in the
 16 Intro|         Sophist; and the new state or opinion is not truer, but only better
 17 Intro|            him? And if they differ in opinion, which of them is likely
 18 Intro|              having to set up our own opinion against ancient and famous
 19 Intro|           with being, is said to have opinion—shall we say that ‘Knowledge
 20 Intro|               that ‘Knowledge is true opinion’? But still an old difficulty
 21 Intro|              ourselves, ‘How is false opinion possible?’ This difficulty
 22 Intro|              in thinking or having an opinion, we must either know or
 23 Intro|       heterodoxy,’ or transference of opinion;—I mean, may not one thing
 24 Intro|               determines and forms an opinion. And false opinion consists
 25 Intro|           forms an opinion. And false opinion consists in saying to yourself,
 26 Intro|              natures which have false opinion; from stupidity they see
 27 Intro|             is no such thing as false opinion, or that a man knows what
 28 Intro|           knowledge ever become false opinion? As well might we suppose
 29 Intro|              attempt to explain false opinion without having explained
 30 Intro|        repeats that knowledge is true opinion. But this seems to be refuted
 31 Intro|             the judge may form a true opinion and truly judge. But if
 32 Intro|              truly judge. But if true opinion were knowledge they could
 33 Intro|              heard: Knowledge is true opinion accompanied by definition
 34 Intro|              that ‘Knowledge is right opinion, accompanied by explanation
 35 Intro|       composed. A man may have a true opinion about a waggon, but then,
 36 Intro|             have knowledge as well as opinion. But on the other hand he
 37 Intro|              he would only have right opinion. Yet there may be a third
 38 Intro|               But have I knowledge or opinion of this difference; if I
 39 Intro|            difference; if I have only opinion I have not knowledge; if
 40 Intro|           have to be defined as right opinion with knowledge of difference.~
 41 Intro|           neither perception nor true opinion, nor yet definition accompanying
 42 Intro|          definition accompanying true opinion. And I have shown that the
 43 Intro|               a current philosophical opinion of the age. ‘The ancients,’
 44 Intro|             feelings, such as memory, opinion, and the like. The simplest
 45 Intro|            knowledge in the sphere of opinion. But here we are met by
 46 Intro|              difficulty: How is false opinion possible? For we must either
 47 Intro|              arrived at the notion of opinion; they could not at once
 48 Intro|            the more ordinary sense of opinion. There is no connexion between
 49 Intro|          surprised that the sphere of opinion and of Not-being should
 50 Intro|      knowledge first in the sphere of opinion. Hereafter we shall find
 51 Intro|              that something more than opinion is required.~False opinion
 52 Intro|            opinion is required.~False opinion is explained by Plato at
 53 Intro|              is made to explain false opinion by assigning to error a
 54 Intro|        success, to the examination of opinion.~But is true opinion really
 55 Intro|               of opinion.~But is true opinion really distinct from knowledge?
 56 Intro| unsatisfactory. The existence of true opinion is proved by the rhetoric
 57 Intro|          knowledge, but may give true opinion. The rhetorician cannot
 58 Intro|            act. Here the idea of true opinion seems to be a right conclusion
 59 Intro|            the correctness of such an opinion will be purely accidental;
 60 Intro|              if he had said that true opinion was a contradiction in terms.~
 61 Intro|     distinction between knowledge and opinion, Theaetetus, in answer to
 62 Intro|              define knowledge as true opinion, with definite or rational
 63 Intro|              hypothesis. For must not opinion be equally expressed in
 64 Intro|     difference between true and false opinion is not the difference between
 65 Intro|     definition accompanied with right opinion, and does not yet attain
 66 Intro|           equally necessary for right opinion; and we have already determined,
 67 Intro|            must be distinguished from opinion. A better distinction is
 68 Intro|              abstraction, and to this opinion stood in no relation.~Like
 69 Intro|           time indistinguishable from opinion in the subject. At length
 70 Intro|            was neither sense, nor yet opinion—with or without explanation;
 71 Intro|             from language and popular opinion. It seeks to explain from
 72  Thea|              should like to have your opinion.~SOCRATES: Let me hear.~
 73  Thea|             progress; and this in the opinion of others as well as in
 74  Thea|               you should express your opinion. And now, let us examine
 75  Thea|           knowledge; it is indeed the opinion of Protagoras, who has another
 76  Thea|               you are giving your own opinion or only wanting to draw
 77  Thea|           last help to bring your own opinion into the light of day: when
 78  Thea|            Then once more: Is it your opinion that nothing is but what
 79  Thea|          magnificent contempt for our opinion of him by informing us at
 80  Thea|              to determine whether his opinion is true or false, but each,
 81  Thea|              Protagoras, uttering the opinion of man, or rather of all
 82  Thea|           them, at least in their own opinion.~THEODORUS: Certainly.~SOCRATES:
 83  Thea|             and ignorance to be false opinion.~THEODORUS: Exactly.~SOCRATES:
 84  Thea|           ignorant or mistaken in his opinion?~THEODORUS: The thing is
 85  Thea|             be true, and declare your opinion to me; let us assume, as
 86  Thea|            are not the judges of this opinion or judgment of yours, or
 87  Thea|             you always to have a true opinion? But are there not thousands
 88  Thea|              an opposite judgment and opinion, deeming that you judge
 89  Thea|               to vary with individual opinion.~SOCRATES: And the best
 90  Thea|       acknowledges the truth of their opinion who believe his own opinion
 91  Thea|           opinion who believe his own opinion to be false; for he admits
 92  Thea|             he not allow that his own opinion is false, if he admits that
 93  Thea|          false, if he admits that the opinion of those who think him false
 94  Thea|            writings, agrees that this opinion is also true.~THEODORUS:
 95  Thea|              his adversary has a true opinion—Protagoras, I say, will
 96  Thea|               men.~THEODORUS: In that opinion I quite agree.~SOCRATES:
 97  Thea|              if however difference of opinion is to be allowed at all,
 98  Thea|              and as far as she has an opinion, the state imposes all laws
 99  Thea|               not only of what in his opinion is but of what will be,
100  Thea|            thinks the contrary, whose opinion is likely to prove right?
101  Thea|             the lie direct to his own opinion.~SOCRATES: There are many
102  Thea|               the doctrine that every opinion of every man is true may
103  Thea|               conceit of our own poor opinion and rejecting that of ancient
104  Thea|              should like to have your opinion upon this point in addition
105  Thea|              I agree with you in that opinion.~SOCRATES: The reason why
106  Thea|           organs. For that was my own opinion, and I wanted you to agree
107  Thea|               say, Socrates, that all opinion is knowledge, because there
108  Thea|          because there may be a false opinion; but I will venture to assert,
109  Thea|                that knowledge is true opinion: let this then be my reply;
110  Thea|                Are there two sorts of opinion, one true and the other
111  Thea|               the discussion touching opinion?~THEAETETUS: To what are
112  Thea|                How there can be false opinion—that difficulty still troubles
113  Thea|              Do we not speak of false opinion, and say that one man holds
114  Thea|              false and another a true opinion, as though there were some
115  Thea|            not say that he who has an opinion, must have an opinion about
116  Thea|              an opinion, must have an opinion about something which he
117  Thea|                When a man has a false opinion does he think that which
118  Thea|       SOCRATES: Where, then, is false opinion? For if all things are either
119  Thea|              unknown, there can be no opinion which is not comprehended
120  Thea|             alternative, and so false opinion is excluded.~THEAETETUS:
121  Thea|              so.~SOCRATES: Then false opinion has no existence in us,
122  Thea|             we not suppose that false opinion or thought is a sort of
123  Thea|              truly said to have false opinion.~THEAETETUS: Now you appear
124  Thea|               then he has truly false opinion.~SOCRATES: I see, Theaetetus,
125  Thea|              are satisfied that false opinion is heterodoxy, or the thought
126  Thea|             doubt, this is called her opinion. I say, then, that to form
127  Thea|            say, then, that to form an opinion is to speak, and opinion
128  Thea|              opinion is to speak, and opinion is a word spoken,—I mean,
129  Thea|              who maintains that false opinion is heterodoxy is talking
130  Thea|               previous way, can false opinion exist in us.~THEAETETUS:
131  Thea|               or hears, may not false opinion arise in the following manner?~
132  Thea|              the possibility of false opinion. The only cases, if any,
133  Thea|           which I cannot form a false opinion about you and Theodorus,
134  Thea|              possibility of erroneous opinion is, when knowing you and
135  Thea|           then ‘heterodoxy’ and false opinion ensues.~THEAETETUS: Yes,
136  Thea|               described the nature of opinion with wonderful exactness.~
137  Thea|           which, as we now say, false opinion may arise, when knowing
138  Thea|             perceived; in these alone opinion turns and twists about,
139  Thea|              natures which have false opinion; for when they see or hear
140  Thea|          admit the existence of false opinion in us?~THEAETETUS: Certainly.~
141  Thea|      Certainly.~SOCRATES: And of true opinion also?~THEAETETUS: Yes.~SOCRATES:
142  Thea|          there are these two sorts of opinion?~THEAETETUS: Undoubtedly.~
143  Thea|          indeed discovered that false opinion arises neither in the comparison
144  Thea|             block, and in which false opinion is held to be impossible;
145  Thea|            the non-existence of false opinion, because otherwise the same
146  Thea|            true.~SOCRATES: Then false opinion cannot be explained as a
147  Thea|             to say, either that false opinion does not exist, or that
148  Thea|                but he may get a false opinion about it; for he may have
149  Thea|              not deceived, and has an opinion of what is, and thus false
150  Thea|               and thus false and true opinion may exist, and the difficulties
151  Thea|             another ever become false opinion?~THEAETETUS: What do you
152  Thea|            thus he would have a false opinion from ignorance, but a true
153  Thea|           ignorance will have a false opinion—am I right?~THEAETETUS:
154  Thea|             think that he has a false opinion?~THEAETETUS: Of course not.~
155  Thea|                He will think that his opinion is true, and he will fancy
156  Thea|            wrong in seeking for false opinion until we know what knowledge
157  Thea|             then, the nature of false opinion?~THEAETETUS: I cannot but
158  Thea|             was said by us to be true opinion; and true opinion is surely
159  Thea|             be true opinion; and true opinion is surely unerring, and
160  Thea|           them is making them have an opinion?~THEAETETUS: To be sure.~
161  Thea|             report they attain a true opinion about them, they judge without
162  Thea|             yet, O my friend, if true opinion in law courts and knowledge
163  Thea|       forgotten it. He said that true opinion, combined with reason, was
164  Thea|               knowledge, but that the opinion which had no reason was
165  Thea|               are apprehended by true opinion. When, therefore, any one
166  Thea|                any one forms the true opinion of anything without rational
167  Thea|          allow and maintain that true opinion, combined with definition
168  Thea|              from definition and true opinion? And yet there is one point
169  Thea|               therefore, agree in the opinion of him who says that the
170  Thea|             the statement, that right opinion with rational definition
171  Thea|           verbs and nouns, imaging an opinion in the stream which flows
172  Thea|            all those who have a right opinion about anything will also
173  Thea|           explanation; nor will right opinion be anywhere found to exist
174  Thea|               name—that would be true opinion, and not knowledge; for
175  Thea|             until, combined with true opinion, there is an enumeration
176  Thea|               we might also have true opinion about a waggon; but he who
177  Thea|          rational explanation to true opinion, and instead of opinion
178  Thea|               opinion, and instead of opinion has art and knowledge of
179  Thea|               correctly, he has right opinion?~THEAETETUS: Clearly.~SOCRATES:
180  Thea|               admit that he has right opinion, he will still be without
181  Thea|         explanation, as well as right opinion, for he knew the order of
182  Thea|              is such a thing as right opinion united with definition or
183  Thea|        maintains knowledge to be true opinion combined with rational explanation?
184  Thea|              But he, who having right opinion about anything, can find
185  Thea|           which before he had only an opinion.~THEAETETUS: Yes; that is
186  Thea|           suppose myself to have true opinion of you, and if to this I
187  Thea|           have knowledge, but if not, opinion only.~THEAETETUS: Yes.~SOCRATES:
188  Thea|         SOCRATES: But when I had only opinion, I had no conception of
189  Thea|               you to-morrow the right opinion will be re-called?~THEAETETUS:
190  Thea|            true.~SOCRATES: Then right opinion implies the perception of
191  Thea|               or explanation to right opinion? If the meaning is, that
192  Thea|                that we should form an opinion of the way in which something
193  Thea|           supposed to acquire a right opinion of the differences which
194  Thea|               we have already a right opinion of them, and so we go round
195  Thea|               and not merely ‘have an opinion’ of the difference, this
196  Thea|           argument will answer ‘Right opinion with knowledge,’—knowledge,
197  Thea|           reply should only be, right opinion with knowledge of difference
198  Thea|            neither sensation nor true opinion, nor yet definition and
199  Thea|        accompanying and added to true opinion?~THEAETETUS: I suppose not.~