Socratic paradoxes a collection of theses associated with Socrates that contradict opinions about moral or practical matters shared by most people. Although there is no consensus on the precise number of Socratic paradoxes, each of the following theses has been identified as one. (1) Because no one desires evil things, anyone who pursues evil things does so involuntarily. (2) Because virtue is knowledge, anyone who does something morally wrong does so involuntarily. (3) It is better to be unjustly treated than to do what is unjust. The first two theses are associated with weakness of will or akrasia. It is sometimes claimed that the topic of the first thesis is prudential weakness, whereas that of the second is moral weakness; the reference to ‘evil things’ in (1) is not limited to things that are morally evil. Naturally, various competing interpretations of these theses have been offered. See also AKRA- SIA , PLATO , SOCRATE. A.R.M.