Page - 1126 - in The Complete Plato
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Once more, then, O my friend, we have alighted upon an easy question—
whether the soul has these three principles or not?
An easy question! Nay, rather, Socrates, the proverb holds that hard is the
good.
Very true, I said; and I do not think that the method which we are
employing is at all adequate to the accurate solution of this question; the true
method is another and a longer one. Still we may arrive at a solution not
below the level of the previous inquiry.
May we not be satisfied with that? he said; under the circumstances, I am
quite content. I, too, I replied, shall be extremely well satisfied.
Then faint not in pursuing the speculation, he said.
Must we not acknowledge, I said, that in each of us there are the same
principles and habits which there are in the State; and that from the individual
they pass into the State?—how else can they come there? Take the quality of
passion or spirit; it would be ridiculous to imagine that this quality, when
found in States, is not derived from the individuals who are supposed to
possess it, e.g., the Thracians, Scythians, and in general the Northern nations;
and the same may be said of the love of knowledge, which is the special
characteristic of our part of the world, or of the love of money, which may,
with equal truth, be attributed to the Phoenicians and Egyptians.
Exactly so, he said.
There is no difficulty in understanding this.
None whatever.
But the question is not quite so easy when we proceed to ask whether these
principles are three or one; whether, that is to say, we learn with one part of
our nature, are angry with another, and with a third part desire the satisfaction
of our natural appetites; or whether the whole soul comes into play in each
sort of action—to determine that is the difficulty.
Yes, he said; there lies the difficulty.
Then let us now try and determine whether they are the same or different.
How can we? he asked.
I replied as follows: The same thing clearly cannot act or be acted upon in
the same part or in relation to the same thing at the same time, in contrary
ways; and therefore whenever this contradiction occurs in things apparently
the same, we know that they are really not the same, but different.
Good.
1126
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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