Charmides

by Plato

"Charmides" by Plato is a philosophical dialogue written in ancient Greece. Socrates returns from battle and encounters the handsome young Charmides at a wrestling school, initiating a provocative inquiry into the nature of sophrosyne—temperance or self-control. Through exchanges with Charmides and his mentor Critias, Socrates dismantles each proposed definition, from quietness to self-knowledge. The dialogue explores profound questions about virtue and wisdom while never reaching a final answer, leaving readers to grapple with these timeless philosophical challenges themselves.