Page - 672 - in The Complete Plato
Image of the Page - 672 -
Text of the Page - 672 -
composition, which is not really such an artificial work as you imagine; for
what you speak of was an accident; there was no pretence of a great purpose;
nor any serious intention of deceiving the world. The truth is, that these
writings of mine were meant to protect the arguments of Parmenides against
those who make fun of him and seek to show the many ridiculous and
contradictory results which they suppose to follow from the affirmation of the
one. My answer is addressed to the partisans of the many, whose attack I
return with interest by retorting upon them that their hypothesis of the being
of many, if carried out, appears to be still more ridiculous than the hypothesis
of the being of one. Zeal for my master led me to write the book in the days of
my youth, but some one stole the copy; and therefore I had no choice whether
it should be published or not; the motive, however, of writing, was not the
ambition of an elder man, but the pugnacity of a young one. This you do not
seem to see, Socrates; though in other respects, as I was saying, your notion is
a very just one.
I understand, said Socrates, and quite accept your account. But tell me,
Zeno, do you not further think that there is an idea of likeness in itself, and
another idea of unlikeness, which is the opposite of likeness, and that in these
two, you and I and all other things to which we apply the term many,
participate—things which participate in likeness become in that degree and
manner like; and so far as they participate in unlikeness become in that degree
unlike, or both like and unlike in the degree in which they participate in both?
And may not all things partake of both opposites, and be both like and unlike,
by reason of this participation?—Where is the wonder? Now if a person could
prove the absolute like to become unlike, or the absolute unlike to become
like, that, in my opinion, would indeed be a wonder; but there is nothing
extraordinary, Zeno, in showing that the things which only partake of likeness
and unlikeness experience both. Nor, again, if a person were to show that all
is one by partaking of one, and at the same time many by partaking of many,
would that be very astonishing. But if he were to show me that the absolute
one was many, or the absolute many one, I should be truly amazed. And so of
all the rest: I should be surprised to hear that the natures or ideas themselves
had these opposite qualities; but not if a person wanted to prove of me that I
was many and also one. When he wanted to show that I was many he would
say that I have a right and a left side, and a front and a back, and an upper and
a lower half, for I cannot deny that I partake of multitude; when, on the other
hand, he wants to prove that I am one, he will say, that we who are here
assembled are seven, and that I am one and partake of the one. In both
instances he proves his case. So again, if a person shows that such things as
wood, stones, and the like, being many are also one, we admit that he shows
the coexistence of the one and many, but he does not show that the many are
672
back to the
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