Critias and Temperance in Charmides

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Dylan Turner Prof. Turner 11/7/13 Critias and Temperance in Charmides Charmides is one of the most prolific dialogues between Socrates and his interlocutors that Plato wrote about. In this particular dialogue, of the discussions had with the two interlocutors, that one with the notorious aristocrat Critias is far more prolific in the topic of temperance as well as the conclusions reached. Critias’s opinion of temperance stems from the original Greek ideas that having a beautiful body and having temperance go hand in hand. Because of his station in life and his reputation, he acts in a manner that coincides with his public position. Being the powerful man he was, Critias acted as though he knew more then he did and attempted to impress those around him in order to seem deserving of the lineage that he was born into. Through the course of the dialogue Socrates, through his usual elenchus, attempts to reach a true and accurate definition of temperance and find out not only all that he can, but also prove to Critias that he does not know all that he claims to. As many of Socrates’s interlocutors do, Critias follows the logical path that Socrates lays out before him until the final conclusion is reached, being that they have failed in reaching their goal of a true definition. The hanging question at the end of the dialogue between these two men is whether or not Socrates actually accomplished what he set out to do and should Critias be obliged to agree with the outcome. Critias was the guardian of the younger and far more physically beautiful Charmides. He was older and wiser then Charmides, making him the more suited interlocutor for Socrates as he was beyond the years where young naiveté obscures thought. He was also the uncle of Charmides and thus related to the author Plato. This lineage is important to recognize because it allows for the understanding

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