From the book
Lysis
Plato · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Orientation
At a Glance
- The wordAmathēs means unlearned; without understanding.
- In LysisSocrates says that no one bad and ἀμαθής loves wisdom.
- Reading contextThe passage does not license applying the term indiscriminately to every beginner or learner.
- A place to readThe Greek example means “For no one bad and unlearned loves wisdom.”
- English renderings
- Unlearned; without understanding
Meaning
Unlearned; without understanding.
Grammatical category: adjective.
Use in the book
Socrates says that no one bad and ἀμαθής loves wisdom. He then distinguishes people who possess ignorance but have not yet been made ἀμαθεῖς by it.
The contrast gives the adjective a stronger local force than merely lacking some information. These people would no longer recognize their lack in the way required for inquiry. The passage does not license applying the term indiscriminately to every beginner or learner.