Abstract

It can be said that the interest in Plato’s dialogues has always remained and will remain alive. One of the reasons behind this is the philosopher’s inexhaustible interest in still actual philosophical concepts. Charmides is one of the dialogues where this interest is clearly recognised, and a discussion on how the concept of ‘sophrosyne’ should be defined constitutes its subject matter. In this highly colourful and productive discussion, Plato discusses the concept through Socrates in terms of the descriptions such as quietness, modesty, doing one’s own business, doing well, and knowing oneself. Sophrosyne, or temperance, is an actual concept in pre-Platonic Greek thought. In this paper, the reason for Plato’s reintroduction of it to the stage of philosophy has been evaluated in the context of the recent criticism of the concept, the outcome of the Platonic style, and the role it would play in philosophy later on. In addition, justification for translating the concept as ‘temperance’ has been presented.