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English Page · Branch 29 of 65
Alcibiades I · 117d–118a
Ancient Greek
p. 52ΑΛ. Τῷ κυβερνήτῃ.
ΣΩ. Οὐκ ἄρα περὶ ἃ μὴ οἶσθα πλανᾷ, ἄνπερ εἰδῇς ὅτι οὐκ οἶσθα;
ΑΛ. Οὐκ ἔοικα.
ΣΩ. Ἐννοεῖς οὖν ὅτι καὶ τὰ ἁμαρτήματα ἐν τῇ πράξει διὰ ταύτην τὴν ἄγνοιάν ἐστι, τὴν τοῦ μὴ εἰδότα οἴεσθαι εἰδέναι;
ΑΛ. Πῶς αὖ λέγεις τοῦτο;
ΣΩ. Τότε που ἐπιχειροῦμεν πράττειν, ὅταν οἰώμεθα εἰδέναι ὅτι πράττομεν;
ΑΛ. Ναί.
117eΣΩ. Ὅταν δέ γέ πού τινες μὴ οἴωνται εἰδέναι, ἄλλοις παραδιδόασι;
ΑΛ. Πῶς δ’ οὔ;
ΣΩ. Οὐκοῦν οἱ τοιοῦτοι τῶν μὴ εἰδότων ἀναμάρτητοι ζῶσι διὰ τὸ ἄλλοις περὶ αὐτῶν ἐπιτρέπειν;
ΑΛ. Ναί.
ΣΩ. Τίνες οὖν οἱ ἁμαρτάνοντες; οὐ γάρ που οἵ γε εἰδότες.
ΑΛ. Οὐ δῆτα.
ΣΩ. Ἐπειδὴ δ’ οὔθ’ οἱ εἰδότες οὔθ’ οἱ τῶν μὴ εἰδότων 118a εἰδότες ὅτι οὐκ ἴσασιν, ἦ ἄλλοι λείπονται ἢ οἱ μὴ εἰδότες, οἰόμενοι δ’ εἰδέναι;
ΑΛ. Οὔκ, ἀλλ’ οὗτοι.
ΣΩ. Αὕτη ἄρα ἡ ἄγνοια τῶν κακῶν αἰτία καὶ ἡ ἐπονείδιστος ἀμαθία;
ΑΛ. Ναί.
ΣΩ. Οὐκοῦν ὅταν ᾖ περὶ τὰ μέγιστα, τότε κακουργοτάτη καὶ αἰσχίστη;
ΑΛ. Πολύ γε.
ΣΩ. Τί οὖν; ἔχεις μείζω εἰπεῖν δικαίων τε καὶ καλῶν καὶ ἀγαθῶν καὶ συμφερόντων;
Alcibiades I
p. 53Alc. Leave it to the pilot.
Soc. So you do not wander about what you do not know, if you know that you do not know?
Alc. I seem not to.
Soc. Do you take in, then, that mistakes in doing, too, are due to this ignorance, the ignorance of thinking one knows when one does not?
Alc. How do you mean that, again?
Soc. We set about doing something, I suppose, when we think we know what we are doing?
Alc. Yes.
Soc. 117e But when some people, I suppose, do not think they know, they hand it over to others?
Alc. Of course.
Soc. So such people, among those who do not know, live without making mistakes, because they leave these things to others?
Alc. Yes.
Soc. Then who are the ones who make mistakes? Not, surely, those who know.
Alc. Certainly not.
Soc. And since it is neither those who know, nor those who, not knowing, 118a know that they do not know, does anyone else remain except those who do not know but think they know?
Alc. No, only these.
Soc. So this ignorance is the cause of bad things, and is the disgraceful stupidity?1
Alc. Yes.
Soc. And when it concerns the greatest things, then it does the most harm and is most shameful?
Alc. By far.
Soc. Well then: can you name anything greater than what is just, fine, good and advantageous?
Socrates
Reading Alcibiades I · Alcibiades I · 117d–118a
Ask about a concept, passage, contradiction, or connection.
Socrates will begin with this book and its sources.About This Reading Edition
Socrates and Alcibiades examine political ambition, education, justice, and the care of the soul. Their inquiry turns on what it means to know oneself. This complete revised edition presents the dialogue, 103a–135e, across fifty-eight Greek–English page pairs, with an introduction, Key Words of the Dialogue, an outline, glossary, critical apparatus, and translator’s notes. The dialogue is transmitted among Plato’s works; its authorship remains disputed.
Historical Text and Translation
The Greek follows John Burnet’s Platonis Opera, volume II (Oxford, 1901), in a later Oxford impression printed by John Johnson and published by Humphrey Milford. The words were taken from the Perseus Digital Library transcription and checked against the supplied printed pages. Burnet’s lineation and critical apparatus are retained, including the extended mirror passage at 133c. The supplied PDF preserves the complete printed layout.
About Diotimos Editions
Diotimos Editions prepared and revised this independent English translation directly from the Greek, preserving the argument’s distinctions, consistent key terms, Socrates’ humor, and the quick exchanges with Alcibiades. Each English dialogue page translates the Greek page opposite it. Translator’s notes accompany their passages. The introduction and Key Words of the Dialogue precede the text; the Outline, Editorial Note, Glossary of Key Terms, and Note on this Edition follow it. Introductory and concluding matter reflows for the screen.
Rights
The ancient Greek work and Burnet’s printed edition are in the public domain. The Perseus digital Greek transcription and its modifications are attributed to the Perseus Digital Library, Tufts University, and reused under CC BY-SA 4.0. The independent English translation and Diotimos editorial matter are © 2026 Diotimos Editions.