233
Stranger
Str. Then what in the world can the magical power of the sophistical art be?
Theaetetus
Theaet. Magical power in what respect?
Stranger
Str. In the way in which they are able to make young men think that they themselves are in all matters the wisest of men. For it is clear that if they neither disputed correctly nor seemed to the young men to do so, or again if they did seem to dispute rightly but were not considered wiser on that account, nobody, to quote from you, Cf. Plat. Theaet. 232d. would care to pay them money to become their pupil in these subjects.
Theaetetus
Theaet. Certainly not.
Stranger
Str. But now people do care to do so?
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Theaetetus
Theaet. Very much.
Stranger
Str. Yes, for they are supposed, I fancy, to have knowledge themselves of the things about which they dispute.
Theaetetus
Theaet. Of course.
Stranger
Str. And they do that about all things, do they not?
Theaetetus
Theaet. Yes.
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Stranger
Str. Then they appear to their pupils to be wise in all things.
Theaetetus
Theaet. To be sure.
Stranger
Str. Though they are not; for that was shown to be impossible.
Theaetetus
Theaet. Of course it is impossible.
Stranger
Str. Then it is a sort of knowledge based upon mere opinion that the sophist has been shown to possess about all things, not true knowledge.
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Theaetetus
Theaet. Certainly; and I shouldn’t be surprised if that were the most accurate statement we have made about him so far.
Stranger
Str. Let us then take a clearer example to explain this.
Theaetetus
Theaet. What sort of an example?
Stranger
Str. This one; and try to pay attention and to give a very careful answer to my question.
Theaetetus
Theaet. What is the question?
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