Strangeness and absurdity · Lexicon

From the book

Charmides

Plato · Diotimos Editions · 2026

Orientation

At a Glance

The wordAtopos can mark something as strange, odd or out of place.
In the CharmidesCharmides finds it odd to speak against himself by denying the virtue others praise in him.
In this editionThe edition uses “odd,” “strange” and “absurd” according to context.
A place to readCharmides describes the awkwardness of denying his own temperance.

Meaning

Atopos can mark something as strange, odd or out of place. Alogōteros is a comparative describing something as more unreasonable or absurd. An expression of surprise is not itself a proof of contradiction; the strength of the conclusion must be read from the surrounding reasoning.

Use in the book

Charmides finds it odd to speak against himself by denying the virtue others praise in him. Later Socrates calls the proposed self-related knowledge strange and supports that reaction with analogies, while expressly warning against insisting too soon that it does not exist. At 172c–e2 both speakers register strangeness when the imagined benefits of knowledge are questioned. The response signals that a familiar expectation is under pressure, not that an inference may be skipped. Finally Socrates uses the stronger comparative language of absurdity in his retrospective discussion of knowing, in some way, what one does not know at all. The qualification about knowing that one does not know must remain in view; otherwise the reader manufactures a simpler contradiction than the text presents. Tracking these terms helps separate social awkwardness, initial perplexity, argumentative difficulty and a stated objection.

Places to read

158dCharmides describes the awkwardness of denying his own temperance.
167c–168b2The strange proposal is examined without prematurely denying its possibility.
172c–173a2Unexpected doubts about benefit prompt repeated expressions of strangeness.
175cThe review of knowing ignorance calls the concession exceptionally unreasonable.

Translation in this edition

The edition uses “odd,” “strange” and “absurd” according to context. The word atopos does not by itself mean logically impossible.

ἄλογος

Attested: ἀλογώτερον (alogōteron). More unreasonable or absurd; Socrates’ retrospective assessment of the overly generous concession about knowing one’s ignorance. References: 175c. Lexical identification: lemma: ἄλογος. See Strangeness and absurdity.

ἄτοπος

Attested: ἄτοπον / ἄτοπα (atopon / atopa). Strange, odd or out of place; marks a difficulty requiring examination rather than itself proving impossibility. References: 158d, 167c, 168a, 172e. Lexical identification: lemma: ἄτοπος. See Strangeness and absurdity.

θαυμάζω (thaumazō)

I wonder or find it surprising; introduces the consequence that a temperate person might not know he is temperate. References: 164a. Lemma: θαυμάζω. See Strangeness and absurdity.

καταφαίνεται (kataphainetai)

Appears or becomes evident; strange consequences seem to emerge from the present account of temperance. References: 172c. Lemma: καταφαίνομαι. See Strangeness and absurdity.

προφαίνεσθαι (prophainesthai)

Show itself or come into view; the disturbing consequences must be examined despite Socrates’ uncertainty. References: 172e. Lemma: προφαίνομαι. See Strangeness and absurdity.