'Charmides' Summary

The dialogue begins with Critias praising Charmides for his youthful beauty and good manners, suggesting that he embodies temperance. Socrates, however, is skeptical of this superficial assessment and begins to question Charmides about his understanding of temperance. Through a series of exchanges, Socrates reveals that Charmides' conception of temperance is limited to outward control and a lack of bad behavior. Socrates argues that true temperance is more than just a matter of outward appearance; it involves a deeper understanding of the soul and its harmonious functioning. The dialogue then shifts to a discussion of the nature of the soul, with Socrates suggesting that it has different parts, each with its own desires and impulses. He argues that temperance is achieved when these different parts are brought into harmony by reason, enabling the soul to act in accordance with what is truly good. Socrates's probing questions ultimately lead Charmides and Critias to realize the difficulty of defining temperance and the depth of the philosophical questions surrounding it. The dialogue concludes without a definitive answer, leaving the reader to ponder the nature of virtue and its role in human life.