Wisdom in practice: Socrates' conception of techne

The word 'techne' frequently appears in the argument and discussions of Socrates and his interlocutors in Plato's early dialogues; the concept of techne as well as instances thereof often play a crucial role in effecting and rendering plausible Socrates' argument and discussion. It is curious, therefore, that there are so few studies devoted entirely to examining Socrates' conception of techne 1; this is a deficit that this thesis aims to play some role in correcting.;The second chapter examines the connection in Socratic thought between the concepts of wisdom, knowledge, and techne, and aims to bring out both their close connection as well as how they serve to illuminate each other. In this chapter, a difficulty connected with the ordinary philosophical concept of wisdom or knowledge is examined in light of the curious Socratic thesis of the sufficiency of virtue.;The third chapter discusses a controversy between two ways of understanding the significance of techne in Socratic thought and attempts to avoid the controversy by suggesting a third way of understanding the concept.;The fourth chapter develops and examines Socrates' own explicit account of techne in Gorgias.;The first chapter is concerned with elaborating some of the problematic questions connected to the philosophical integrity and originality and the historical actuality of Socrates as he appears in Plato's dialogues. Part of this project involves responding to questions regarding which dialogues count as 'early' and 'Socratic'---and what these designations mean; part involves elaborating and articulating the character of Socrates' person and methods in the dialogues and here the importance of the concept of techne to Socratic reflection is introduced.;The fifth, and final, chapter connects Socrates' own account to the controversy discussed in the third chapter and the difficulty examined in the second chapter and suggests a way of overcoming these controversies.;1Many studies of Socratic or early Platonic thought take the concept of techne to be crucial to understanding Socrates' ethical reflection. Few studies, however, bother to interrogate and articulate the concept itself; fewer still bother to do so without regard for Socrates' deployment of the concept in ethical contexts. Of article-length studies that aim to do the latter, I know of only two: Smith, Angela M. 'Knowledge and Expertise in the Early Platonic Dialogues,' Archiv fur Geschichte der Philosophie 80 (1998) and Brumbaugh, Robert S., 'Plato's Relation to the Arts and Crafts,' Phronesis 2 (1976); and of book-length studies, I know of only four: Balansard, Anne. Techne dans les Dialogues de Platon: l'Empreinte de la Sophistique (Sankt Augustin: Academia, 2001); Lobl, Rudolf. Texnh-Techne: Untersuchungen zur Bedeutung dieses Wortes in der Zeit von Homer bis Aristoteles (Wurzburg: Konighausen & Neumann, 1997); Roochnik, David. Of Art and Wisdom: Plato's Understanding of Techne (University Park, PA: Pennsylvannia State University Press, 1996); and Waack-Erdmann, Katharina. Die Demiurgen bei Platon und ihre Technai (Darmstadt: Wissenschatfliche Buchgesellschaft, 2006). Unfortunately, due to a linguistic barrier, I am only familiar with the contents of Roochnik's book and the two articles.