Editing Theaetetus (dialogue) (section)

== Legacy ==

=== Later Platonism ===
The Theaetetus was a popular dialogue in [[classical antiquity]]. Writing in the 1st century BCE, the [[Middle Platonist]] [[Eudorus of Alexandria]] references the definition of a philosopher as a "likeness to a god"{{efn|176b}} and uses it to justify his synthesis of Platonism with Pythagorean teachings on virtue.{{sfn|Dillon|1996|p=122-123}} One of Eudorus's contemporaries, [[Philo of Alexandria]] also quoted from it frequently, implying that he considered it an important work.{{sfn|Dillon|1996|p=122-123}} The Theaetetus was also the subject of many philosophical commentaries. The earliest surviving [[Commentaries on Plato|Platonic commentary]], dating from between the 1st century BCE and the 2nd century CE, is an [[Anonymous Commentary on Plato's Theaetetus|anonymous commentary on the Theaetetus]], which goes into detail on the nature of knowledge outlined in the work and compares it to the definitions of knowledge outlined in the [[Meno]].{{sfn|Dillon|1996|p=270-271}} The Theaetetus is also referenced frequently by [[Alcinous (philosopher)|Alcinous]] in his ''Handbook of Platonism''.{{sfn|Dillon|1996|p=275}}

In [[Late antiquity]], the work was included in the [[Neoplatonic]] curriculum of twelve dialogues developed by [[Iamblichus]], where it was preceded by the [[Cratylus (dialogue)|Cratylus]], and considered a theoretical work on [[logic]].<ref>{{cite SEP|title=Iamblichus|url-id=Iamblichus}}</ref>

=== Gettier problems ===
In the 20th century, the dialogue and its definition of knowledge as a "[[Justified True Belief]]" were investigated by [[Edmund Gettier]], who investigated [[Platonic epistemology]] as related in the Theaetetus and the ''[[Meno]]'' is his work "Is Justified True Belief Knowledge (1963)" where he develops the [[Gettier problem]], an example of the type of scenario which challenges the notion that a justified true belief is the same thing as knowledge.

===Wittgenstein===
In the later years of his philosophy Wittgenstein took an interest in the Theaetetus. He sent a copy of it to his friend [[Maurice O'Connor Drury]] and told him that "Plato in this dialogue is occupied with the same problems that I am writing about".<ref>{{cite book |last1=O'Connor Drury |first1=Maurice |title=The Selected Writings of Maurice O’Connor Drury On Wittgenstein, Philosophy, Religion and Psychiatry |date=2017 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |page=129}}</ref> He later quoted the text in [[Philosophical Investigations]].<ref>{{cite book |title=Wittgenstein on Mind and Language |date=1994 |publisher=Oxford University Press, USA |page=54}}</ref> Although he found that the text was preoccupied with the same problems he was dealing with, he critiqued what he considered the false pretence of discussion, telling [[O.K. Bouwsma]] that "The young man Theaetetus is introduced as a promising, bright youngster, but he shows none of this. He has no fight in him at all. Why doesn't he make a stand? Socrates arguing with these weaklings!"<ref>{{cite book |last1=Bouwsma |first1=O.K. |title=Wittgenstein Conversations 1949-51 |date=1986 |publisher=Hackett Publishing Company |page=61}}</ref>