Examination

Use in the book

At 166c–d Socrates says he would scrutinize his own assertions for the same reason he refutes another: to avoid unnoticed false confidence. At 167a the power to examine oneself and others is ascribed to the temperate person. Socrates formulates the claim, Critias agrees, and later arguments examine whether their proposed knowledge could provide it.

At 170d that promise is curtailed. Knowing merely that a claimant has some knowledge does not establish that he knows the thing he professes. The medical test at 171a–b specifies two kinds of evidence: what the person says, considered for truth, and what he does, considered for correctness. The examiner needs competence in the relevant field to follow either. This prevents “examination” from being reduced to catching verbal inconsistency while ignoring subject-specific performance.

At 172b a qualified role is again proposed: reflective knowledge might enable better examination concerning subjects the examiner has himself learned. This is much weaker than an all-purpose tribunal of expertise. The contrast is useful when comparing the passage with Socrates' actual questioning. His practice need not make the same claim to complete expertise that Critias' imagined supervisory knowledge does. Whether Plato intends precisely that distinction remains interpretive.

Places to read

1. 166c–e2Self-scrutiny and attention to the argument
2. 167aExpansive power to examine self and others proposed
3. 170d–171c2Object-sensitive examination of claims and performances
4. 172bPossible improvement in examination within a learned field

Translation in this edition

“Examine” is kept for exetazein at 167a, 170d and 172b. At 171b it also translates a compound of skopein; the English continuity marks the activity without implying that the Greek uses only one verb.

διερευνάω

Attested: διερευνῴμην (diereunōimēn). To scrutinize or investigate thoroughly; Socrates says he would investigate his own statements to avoid unnoticed false claims to knowledge. References: 166d. Lexical identification: lemma: διερευνάω. See Examination.

ἐξετάζω

Attested: ἐξετάσαι / ἐξετάζοντες (exetasai / exetazontes). Examine or test closely; especially a person’s professed expertise and whether it is genuine. References: 167a, 170d, 172b. Lexical identification: lemma: ἐξετάζω. See Examination.

ἐπακολουθέω

Attested: ἐπακολουθῆσαι (epakolouthēsai). Follow intelligently; grasp whether the doctor's claims and actions are correct. References: 171b. Lexical identification: lemma: ἐπακολουθέω. See Examination.

ἐπισκοπέω

Attested: ἐπισκοπεῖν (episkopein). Inspect or examine; part of the proposed power to assess oneself and others. References: 167a. Lexical identification: lemma: ἐπισκοπέω. See Examination.

πεῖρα

Attested: πεῖραν (peiran). A trial or test; to determine which particular knowledge a doctor has, the examiner must test what it is knowledge of. References: 171a. Lexical identification: lemma: πεῖρα. See Examination.

προυκαλούμην (proukaloumēn)

Was inviting or challenging; Socrates had called on Critias to distinguish possible from impossible self-relations. References: 169c. Lemma: προκαλέομαι. See Examination.