From the book
Theages
Plato · Diotimos Editions · 2026
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At a Glance
- The wordPeira is a trial, attempt or test.
- In TheagesAt 129d Socrates offers the still-current military expedition as a test of the sign.
- In this edition“Make trial” links the two testing passages.
- A place to readπεῖραν … λαβεῖν τοῦ σημείου — the current forecast is open to testing.
Meaning
Peira is a trial, attempt or test. Apopeirasthai means to make trial of something; the prefix does not turn every use into a controlled experiment. Pareikein means to give way or yield; here it is to allow the association. Diakōlyein is to prevent or hinder, while enantiousthai is to oppose. Permission and active assistance are therefore distinct notions both lexically and in Socrates’ explicit account.
Use in the book
At 129d Socrates offers the still-current military expedition as a test of the sign. Theages takes up the language of trying in his final proposal: they should test the daimonic by being with one another. This is a practical response to uncertain eligibility, not a theoretical refutation of Socrates’ story. If it allows them, that is best; otherwise they will immediately deliberate about another associate or a religious appeal.
The proposal is hopeful but does not settle all the risks just explained. Socrates has distinguished people who are not prevented from being with him but receive no benefit. Even helped companions do not uniformly keep what they gain. Theages’ first conditional asks whether they are allowed to associate; it does not explicitly formulate separate tests for benefit and permanence. A reader may observe this limitation without making Theages assert that permission guarantees every educational result.
The daimonic’s approval is not actually reported at the close. Demodocus urges Socrates to stop opposing the lad, and Socrates agrees that, if this seems the course to take, they should take it. Agreement between the human participants begins the trial. It is not itself a new occurrence of the sign, a narrated divine verdict or evidence that the proposed sacrifices have worked. No subsequent lesson or progress is shown.
The ending therefore resolves the immediate negotiation while preserving the central uncertainty. The father’s wish for a trustworthy associate and the son’s attraction to Socrates produce a plan. What this association will yield remains conditional. Reading the last assent as a completed enrolment with guaranteed success erases the very warning that makes the test necessary.
Places to read
- 129dπεῖραν … λαβεῖν τοῦ σημείου — the current forecast is open to testing
- 129eἐναντιοῦται — active opposition excludes some associations
- 129eσυνεῖναι μὲν οὐ διακωλύει, ὠφελοῦνται δὲ οὐδέν — permission does not entail benefit
- 131aἀποπειραθῆναι … συνόντας ἀλλήλοις — Theages proposes a trial through reciprocal association
- 131aἐὰν μὲν παρείκῃ ἡμῖν — the first question is whether the power allows them
- 131aβουλευσόμεθα ὅτι δράσομεν — alternatives remain subject to further deliberation
- 131aεἰ δοκεῖ χρῆναι … ποιῶμεν — Socrates’ assent concludes the conversation, not the trial
Translation in this edition
“Make trial” links the two testing passages. “If it allows us” keeps permission distinct from the earlier “takes a hand”. The apparatus records a conjectured deletion of “that is best”, but the printed text retains it. Neither text nor translation supplies a successful outcome beyond the final agreement.
Do; act — δρᾶν
Do; act. To carry out an action; Theages leaves the next step for deliberation if the proposed association is not allowed. Attested: δράσομεν (131a). Trial, permission, and an open ending.
Give way; allow — παρείκειν
Give way; allow. To yield or permit; the subjunctive expresses the hoped-for allowance of their association, not guaranteed benefit. Attested: παρείκῃ (131a). Trial, permission, and an open ending.
Make trial of — ἀποπειρᾶσθαι
Make trial of. To test through an attempt; Theages proposes discovering whether association with Socrates will be allowed. Attested: ἀποπειραθῆναι (131a). Trial, permission, and an open ending.
Oppose — ἐναντιοῦσθαι
Oppose. To set oneself against; divine opposition makes certain associations unable to confer benefit. Attested: ἐναντιοῦται (129e). Trial, permission, and an open ending.
Prevent; hinder — διακωλύειν
Prevent; hinder. To block an action; its negation describes companions permitted to associate even though they receive no benefit. Attested: διακωλύει (129e). Trial, permission, and an open ending.
Speak against; object — ἀντιλέγειν
Speak against; object. To oppose a proposal in speech; Demodocus urges Socrates to stop objecting to Theages’ plan. Attested: ἀντείπῃς (131a). Trial, permission, and an open ending.
Trial; test — πεῖρα
Trial; test. An opportunity to test a claim; the current expedition is contrasted with completed events known through witnesses. Attested: πεῖραν (129d). Trial, permission, and an open ending.
If it seems good to you (contextual phrase)
121a: Εἰ σοὶ δοκεῖ. Socrates accepts the move into the stoa conditionally on Demodocus' preference. Dokein can mark seeming, judgment or an agreed practical proposal; the context determines which. Its recurrence in the final decision, εἰ δοκεῖ χρῆναι at 131a, frames a course of action without establishing that its hoped-for result has already been proved. See Agreement and Trial.
Testing through being together (contextual phrase)
131a: ἀποπειραθῆναι τοῦ δαιμονίου τούτου συνόντας ἀλλήλοις. The trial is made by associating with one another; the participle describes the circumstance or means of testing. Theages does not ask for a theoretical demonstration in advance, and Socrates does not report a successful result. The genitive marks what is put to the test. See Trial and permission.