Page - 272 - in The Complete Plato
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Prodicus added: That, Critias, seems to me to be well said, for those who
are present at such discussions ought to be impartial hearers of both the
speakers; remembering, however, that impartiality is not the same as equality,
for both sides should be impartially heard, and yet an equal meed should not
be assigned to both of them; but to the wiser a higher meed should be given,
and a lower to the less wise. And I as well as Critias would beg you,
Protagoras and Socrates, to grant our request, which is, that you will argue
with one another and not wrangle; for friends argue with friends out of good-
will, but only adversaries and enemies wrangle. And then our meeting will be
delightful; for in this way you, who are the speakers, will be most likely to
win esteem, and not praise only, among us who are your audience; for esteem
is a sincere conviction of the hearers’ souls, but praise is often an insincere
expression of men uttering falsehoods contrary to their conviction. And thus
we who are the hearers will be gratified and not pleased; for gratification is of
the mind when receiving wisdom and knowledge, but pleasure is of the body
when eating or experiencing some other bodily delight. Thus spoke Prodicus,
and many of the company applauded his words.
Hippias the sage spoke next. He said: All of you who are here present I
reckon to be kinsmen and friends and fellow-citizens, by nature and not by
law; for by nature like is akin to like, whereas law is the tyrant of mankind,
and often compels us to do many things which are against nature. How great
would be the disgrace then, if we, who know the nature of things, and are the
wisest of the Hellenes, and as such are met together in this city, which is the
metropolis of wisdom, and in the greatest and most glorious house of this city,
should have nothing to show worthy of this height of dignity, but should only
quarrel with one another like the meanest of mankind! I do pray and advise
you, Protagoras, and you, Socrates, to agree upon a compromise. Let us be
your peacemakers. And do not you, Socrates, aim at this precise and extreme
brevity in discourse, if Protagoras objects, but loosen and let go the reins of
speech, that your words may be grander and more becoming to you. Neither
do you, Protagoras, go forth on the gale with every sail set out of sight of land
into an ocean of words, but let there be a mean observed by both of you. Do
as I say. And let me also persuade you to choose an arbiter or overseer or
president; he will keep watch over your words and will prescribe their proper
length.
This proposal was received by the company with universal approval;
Callias said that he would not let me off, and they begged me to choose an
arbiter. But I said that to choose an umpire of discourse would be unseemly;
for if the person chosen was inferior, then the inferior or worse ought not to
preside over the better; or if he was equal, neither would that be well; for he
who is our equal will do as we do, and what will be the use of choosing him?
272
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book The Complete Plato"
The Complete Plato
- Title
- The Complete Plato
- Author
- Plato
- Date
- ~347 B.C.
- Language
- English
- License
- PD
- Size
- 21.0 x 29.7 cm
- Pages
- 1612
- Keywords
- Philosophy, Antique, Philosophie, Antike, Dialogues, Metaphysik, Metaphysics, Ideologie, Ideology, Englisch
- Categories
- Geisteswissenschaften
- International