Page - 1556 - in The Complete Plato

himself hates?—he who dares to say this sort of thing must not be tolerated for a moment. Cleinias. Of course not. How could he have? Athenian. Should we not on any principle be entirely mistaken in praising any one who has some special business entrusted to him, if he have a mind which takes care of great matters and no care of small ones? Reflect; he who acts in this way, whether he be God or man, must act from one of two principles. Cleinias. What are they? Athenian. Either he must think that the neglect of the small matters is of no consequence to the whole, or if he knows that they are of consequence, and he neglects them, his neglect must be attributed to carelessness and indolence. Is there any other way in which his neglect can be explained? For surely, when it is impossible for him to take care of all, he is not negligent if he fails to attend to these things great or small, which a God or some inferior being might be wanting in strength or capacity to manage? Cleinias. Certainly not. Athenian. Now, then, let us examine the offenders, who both alike confess that there are Gods, but with a difference—the one saying that they may be appeased, and the other that they have no care of small matters: there are three of us and two of them, and we will say to them—In the first place, you both acknowledge that the Gods hear and see and know all things, and that nothing can escape them which is matter of sense and knowledge:—do you admit this? Cleinias. Yes. Athenian. And do you admit also that they have all power which mortals and immortals can have? Cleinias. They will, of course, admit this also. Athenian. And surely we three and they two—five in all—have acknowledged that they are good and perfect? Cleinias. Assuredly. Athenian. But, if they are such as we conceive them to be, can we possibly suppose that they ever act in the spirit of carelessness and indolence? For in us inactivity is the child of cowardice, and carelessness of inactivity and indolence. Cleinias. Most true. 1556