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action of the poison; persons who excite themselves are sometimes obliged to
take a second or even a third dose.
Then, said Socrates, let him mind his business and be prepared to give the
poison twice or even thrice if necessary; that is all.
I knew quite well what you would say, replied Crito; but I was obliged to
satisfy him.
Never mind him, he said.
And now, O my judges, I desire to prove to you that the real philosopher
has reason to be of good cheer when he is about to die, and that after death he
may hope to obtain the greatest good in the other world. And how this may
be, Simmias and Cebes, I will endeavour to explain. For I deem that the true
votary of philosophy is likely to be misunderstood by other men; they do not
perceive that he is always pursuing death and dying; and if this be so, and he
has had the desire of death all his life long, why when his time comes should
he repine at that which he has been always pursuing and desiring?
Simmias said laughingly: Though not in a laughing humour, you have
made me laugh, Socrates; for I cannot help thinking that the many when they
hear your words will say how truly you have described philosophers, and our
people at home will likewise say that the life which philosophers desire is in
reality death, and that they have found them out to be deserving of the death
which they desire.
And they are right, Simmias, in thinking so, with the exception of the
words ‘they have found them out’; for they have not found out either what is
the nature of that death which the true philosopher deserves, or how he
deserves or desires death. But enough of them:—let us discuss the matter
among ourselves: Do we believe that there is such a thing as death?
To be sure, replied Simmias.
Is it not the separation of soul and body? And to be dead is the completion
of this; when the soul exists in herself, and is released from the body and the
body is released from the soul, what is this but death?
Just so, he replied.
There is another question, which will probably throw light on our present
inquiry if you and I can agree about it:—Ought the philosopher to care about
the pleasures—if they are to be called pleasures—of eating and drinking?
Certainly not, answered Simmias.
And what about the pleasures of love—should he care for them?
442
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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