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Single Idea 20185

[filed under theme 11. Knowledge Aims / A. Knowledge / 3. Value of Knowledge ]

Full Idea

It would be shameful indeed to say that wisdom and knowledge are anything but the most powerful forces in human activity.

Gist of Idea

The most important things in life are wisdom and knowledge

Source

Plato (Protagoras [c.380 BCE], 352d)

Book Ref

Plato: 'Complete Works', ed/tr. Cooper,John M. [Hackett 1997], p.782


A Reaction

He lumps wisdom and knowledge together, and I think we can take 'knowledge' to mean something like understanding, because obviously mere atomistic propositional knowledge can be utterly trivial.


The 13 ideas from 'Protagoras'

Socrates did not believe that virtue could be taught [Plato]
If we punish wrong-doers, it shows that we believe virtue can be taught [Plato]
If asked whether justice itself is just or unjust, you would have to say that it is just [Plato]
Everything resembles everything else up to a point [Plato]
Only one thing can be contrary to something [Plato]
Some things are good even though they are not beneficial to men [Plato]
The only real evil is loss of knowledge [Plato]
Some pleasures are not good, and some pains are not evil [Plato]
The most important things in life are wisdom and knowledge [Plato]
People tend only to disapprove of pleasure if it leads to pain, or prevents future pleasure [Plato]
No one willingly and knowingly embraces evil [Plato]
Courage is knowing what should or shouldn't be feared [Plato]
Socrates is contradicting himself in claiming virtue can't be taught, but that it is knowledge [Plato]