Thrasymachus offers an interesting opinion in Book I of the Rebpublic. He suggests, beginning in section 340, that: When someone makes an error in the treatment of patients, do you call him a doctor in regard to that very error?

September 5, 2023September 5, 2023 Discipline: Philosophy
What in the world is Thrasymachus talking about? How are knowledge and error (or ignorance) related to performing a craft? Does one “know” they are making an error, and if not, do they actually “know” their trade when they make such an error?
 
Let me give an example from my own experience:
I like to play golf, but I’ve only been playing for a little while. When I make a shot, I hope and pray that it goes where I want it to, and when I par a hole I feel like I’ve really accomplished something. Clearly I’m playing golf, and doing what I’m supposed to be doing, but do I “know” what I’m doing? Can you call me a “golfer” in this scenario, even when I make par? How about when I shank the ball out of bounds?
 
Discuss this interesting and challenging problem. Include in your discussion how this relates to being a good person. Does a someone have to “know” they are doing good to be good? 
This is usually a hotly debated thread, mostly because either nobody has read what Thrasymachus actually said or they just don’t understand the point. So let me clarify a couple of key points:
  • This is a discussion about the source of error. What is the source of error in our judgment?
  • This is not a discussion about whether or not somebody is perfect all the time. That’s obviously not possible, so isn’t even worth discussing.
  • So, this is a discussion about the difference between knowledge (expert knowledge) versus ignorance (public opinion). 
  • In other words, the source of our error is ignorance (not knowing, or the opposite of knowledge), and if we are ignorant when we make an error it means we didn’t know we were making an error. In other words, doing something correctly, repeatedly, in the way a craftsperson does, requires knowledge. Making an error cannot be done knowingly, hence it’s being an error. So, when an error is made, it is out of a lack of knowledge.
  • So, to return to the original question, if you make an error out of a lack of knowledge (otherwise you wouldn’t make an error), are you being knowledgeable at the time you make that error? The obvious answer is no, isn’t it?
  • So when it comes to being a good person, can you actually be good if you don’t know you’re being good? If it isn’t done from knowledge, can you be said to know you are good?
  • Make sure you use the reading to support your post. Give at least 2 quotes, with citations, from the text.

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