Page - 78 - in The Complete Plato

not having such a knowledge? LACHES: True. SOCRATES: And he who descends into a well, and dives, and holds out in this or any similar action, having no knowledge of diving, or the like, is, as you would say, more courageous than those who have this knowledge? LACHES: Why, Socrates, what else can a man say? SOCRATES: Nothing, if that be what he thinks. LACHES: But that is what I do think. SOCRATES: And yet men who thus run risks and endure are foolish, Laches, in comparison of those who do the same things, having the skill to do them. LACHES: That is true. SOCRATES: But foolish boldness and endurance appeared before to be base and hurtful to us. LACHES: Quite true. SOCRATES: Whereas courage was acknowledged to be a noble quality. LACHES: True. SOCRATES: And now on the contrary we are saying that the foolish endurance, which was before held in dishonour, is courage. LACHES: Very true. SOCRATES: And are we right in saying so? LACHES: Indeed, Socrates, I am sure that we are not right. SOCRATES: Then according to your statement, you and I, Laches, are not attuned to the Dorian mode, which is a harmony of words and deeds; for our deeds are not in accordance with our words. Any one would say that we had courage who saw us in action, but not, I imagine, he who heard us talking about courage just now. LACHES: That is most true. SOCRATES: And is this condition of ours satisfactory? LACHES: Quite the reverse. SOCRATES: Suppose, however, that we admit the principle of which we are speaking to a certain extent. LACHES: To what extent and what principle do you mean? 78