“Lysis, or Friendship” - Plato But neither can like be the friend of like, as we ther good nor evil?
were just now saying.
True.
True.
And the body is compelled by reason of disease And if so, that which is neither good nor evil can to court and make friends of the art of medicine?
have no friend which is neither good nor evil.
Yes.
Clearly not.
Then that which is neither good nor evil becomes Then the good alone is the friend of that only the friend of good, by reason of the presence of evil?
which is neither good nor evil.
So we may infer.
That may be assumed to be certain.
And clearly this must have happened before that And does not this seem to put us in the right which was neither good nor evil had become alto-way? Just remark, that the body which is in health gether corrupted with the element of evil—if itself requires neither medical nor any other aid, but is had become evil it would not still desire and love well enough; and the healthy man has no love of the good; for, as we were saying, the evil cannot be the physician, because he is in health.
the friend of the good.
He has none.
Impossible.
But the sick loves him, because he is sick?
Further, I must observe that some substances are Certainly.
assimilated when others are present with them; and And sickness is an evil, and the art of medicine a there are some which are not assimilated: take, for good and useful thing?
example, the case of an ointment or colour which is Yes.
put on another substance.
But the human body, regarded as a body, is nei-Very good.