Sphenic thought

First appearance and context

The term appears in an entry of The Dictionary (4th edition, A.R. 3000) discussing Kefedokhles. It notes that in the dialog Uraloabus, a timely interruption by Kefedokhles allows Thelenes to recover his footing and proceed to a systematic annihilation of Sphenic thought that occupies the final portion of the work and ends with the title character’s public suicide.

Definition and rationale

As presented so far, “Sphenic thought” is a label for a set of ideas or a school of argument engaged by classical dialogists. Its specific tenets are not detailed in the available text; the only characterization is that it was decisively rebutted within Uraloabus.

Relationships and references

• Cited as a target of refutation by Thelenes in Uraloabus.
• Mentioned within The Dictionary entry on Kefedokhles, who is described as enabling the reversal in the debate.
• Associated with the corpus of the “great dialogs,” of which Uraloabus is one.

Current status

Referenced as a historical-philosophical label in The Dictionary (4th edition, A.R. 3000). No current adherents or ongoing debates are described in the available material.