Seite - 1189 - in The Complete Plato
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A most exact parallel.
What will be the issue of such marriages? Will they not be vile and
bastard?
There can be no question of it.
And when persons who are unworthy of education approach philosophy
and make an alliance with her who is in a rank above them, what sort of ideas
and opinions are likely to be generated? Will they not be sophisms captivating
to the ear, having nothing in them genuine, or worthy of or akin to true
wisdom?
No doubt, he said.
Then, Adeimantus, I said, the worthy disciples of philosophy will be but a
small remnant: perchance some noble and welleducated person, detained by
exile in her service, who in the absence of corrupting influences remains
devoted to her; or some lofty soul born in a mean city, the politics of which he
contemns and neglects; and there may be a gifted few who leave the arts,
which they justly despise, and come to her; or peradventure there are some
who are restrained by our friend Theages’s bridle; for everything in the life of
Theages conspired to divert him from philosophy; but ill-health kept him
away from politics. My own case of the internal sign is hardly worth
mentioning, for rarely, if ever, has such a monitor been given to any other
man. Those who belong to this small class have tasted how sweet and blessed
a possession philosophy is, and have also seen enough of the madness of the
multitude; and they know that no politician is honest, nor is there any
champion of justice at whose side they may fight and be saved. Such a one
may be compared to a man who has fallen among wild beasts—he will not
join in the wickedness of his fellows, but neither is he able singly to resist all
their fierce natures, and therefore seeing that he would be of no use to the
State or to his friends, and reflecting that he would have to throw away his
life without doing any good either to himself or others, he holds his peace,
and goes his own way. He is like one who, in the storm of dust and sleet
which the driving wind hurries along, retires under the shelter of a wall; and
seeing the rest of mankind full of wickedness, he is content, if only he can
live his own life and be pure from evil or unrighteousness, and depart in peace
and good-will, with bright hopes.
Yes, he said, and he will have done a great work before he departs.
A great work—yes; but not the greatest, unless he find a State suitable to
him; for in a State which is suitable to him, he will have a larger growth and
be the saviour of his country, as well as of himself.
1189
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Buch The Complete Plato"
The Complete Plato
- Titel
- The Complete Plato
- Autor
- Plato
- Datum
- ~347 B.C.
- Sprache
- englisch
- Lizenz
- PD
- Abmessungen
- 21.0 x 29.7 cm
- Seiten
- 1612
- Schlagwörter
- Philosophy, Antique, Philosophie, Antike, Dialogues, Metaphysik, Metaphysics, Ideologie, Ideology, Englisch
- Kategorien
- Geisteswissenschaften
- International