A beautiful dialogue by the great Ancient Greek philosopher, Plato, which basically deals with definition temperance (in Greek: Sophrosyne)! I particularly loved the idea of self-knowledge, knowing what one knows and what one does not know. Furthermore, I loved the discussion on the relation between medicine and science. The dialogue did not reach a precise definition of temperance, but it raised various important question, which makes it an interesting and enjoyable philosophical work.

The Charmides is a dialogue of Plato, in which Socrates engages a handsome and popular boy in a conversation about the meaning of sophrosyne, a Greek word usually translated into English as "temperance", "self-control", or "restraint". As is typical with Platonic early dialogues, the two never arrive at a completely satisfactory definition, but the discussion nevertheless raises many important points.

Plato was a philosopher, as well as mathematician, in Classical Greece. He is considered an essential figure in the development of philosophy, especially the Western tradition, and he founded the Academy in Athens, the first institution of higher learning in the Western world. Along with his teacher Socrates and his most famous student, Aristotle, Plato laid the foundations of Western philosophy and science. Alfred North Whitehead once noted: "the safest general characterization of the European philosophical tradition is that it consists of a series of footnotes to Plato."