  At the conclusion of the Likeness Regress, Parmenides raises what he characterizes as the greatest difficulty for the theory of forms. This difficulty takes the form of two arguments, the first designed to show that, if the forms are as Socrates has described them, they cannot be known by human beings, the second designed to show that, if the forms are as Socrates has described them, then the gods cannot know human affairs. Both of these conclusions, if true, would be devastating to the theory of forms. For, first, in the middle dialogues, Plato takes for granted that humans can know at least some forms (see Meno 76a6–7 and Phaedo 74b2–3) and sketches a method (i.e., dialectic) that is designed to provide humans with knowledge of the forms (Republic 534b3–c5); and, second, as Socrates himself accepts, it would be “shocking” (134c4) and “astonishing” (134d8) to be told that the gods cannot know human affairs.