DiotimosReading Desk

Argument and inquiry

Retraction

ἀναθείμην (anatheimēn); ἀναθέντι (anathenti); ἀφίημι (aphiēmi)

Anatithenai in the active can mean set up or dedicate; the middle form anatheimēn at 164c–d means take back or retract.

From the book

Charmides

Plato · Diotimos Editions · 2026

Browse this book’s lexicon →

Orientation

At a Glance

  • The wordAnatithenai in the active can mean set up or dedicate; the middle form anatheimēn at 164c–d means take back or retract.
  • In the CharmidesCritias would sooner retract an earlier agreement than allow that a person ignorant of himself can be temperate (164c–d).
  • In this editionThe English “take back” and “dedicated” cannot reproduce the shared anatithēmi stem unaided.
  • A place to readEarlier agreements offered for retraction.

Meaning

Anatithenai in the active can mean set up or dedicate; the middle form anatheimēn at 164c–d means take back or retract. Aphiēmi, “I let go” or “give up”, marks Critias’ abandonment of the preceding discussion at 165a–b.

Use in the book

Critias would sooner retract an earlier agreement than allow that a person ignorant of himself can be temperate (164c–d). This is an intelligible dialectical move: when accepted claims yield an unacceptable result, one may revise the claims. It is also revealing about his priorities. He does not identify and repair one precise faulty premise before launching the new self-knowledge account.

The verbal transition is pointed. His taking back, anatheimēn, is immediately followed by agreement with whoever dedicated, anathenti, the Delphic inscription. The same verb moves from retracting a position to setting up an authoritative saying. The edition notes an association of the middle with taking back a move at a board game; the local wordplay does not require us to imagine an actual game being played.

At 165a–b Critias explicitly gives up the previous claims while maintaining that it was unclear which speaker was more correct. Retraction thus allows a restart without admitting a detailed diagnosis of failure. Later, when perplexed about reflective knowledge, he refuses even to acknowledge his inability (169c). The contrast between revising an account and shielding one's reputation remains dramatically active.

Places to read

  1. 164c–dEarlier agreements offered for retraction
  2. 164dThe same verb family introduces the dedication at Delphi
  3. 165a–bCritias abandons earlier discussion and offers the new account

Translation in this edition

The English “take back” and “dedicated” cannot reproduce the shared anatithēmi stem unaided. The middle form should be transliterated anatheimēn; no separate technical doctrine is implied by the wordplay.

ἀνατίθημι

Attested: ἀναθείμην / ἀναθέντες (anatheimēn / anathentes). Take back or retract in the middle, but set up or dedicate in the active; Critias’ retraction precedes the Delphic dedications. References: 164d, 165a. Lexical identification: lemma: ἀνατίθημι. See Retraction.

ἀφίημι

Attested: ἀφίημι (aphiēmi). I let go or relinquish; Critias abandons the preceding discussion before defending self-knowledge. References: 165b. Lexical identification: lemma: ἀφίημι. See Retraction.