YOUNG SOCRATES: True, if there be such a name.
YOUNG SOCRATES: That is clear; but I still ask, what is to follow.
STRANGER: Why, is not ‘care’ of herds applicable to all? For this implies no feeding, or any special STRANGER: If the word had been ‘managing’
duty; if we say either ‘tending’ the herds, or ‘man-herds, instead of feeding or rearing them, no one aging’ the herds, or ‘having the care’ of them, the would have argued that there was no care of men in same word will include all, and then we may wrap the case of the politician, although it was justly con-up the Statesman with the rest, as the argument tended, that there was no human art of feeding them seems to require.
which was worthy of the name, or at least, if there were, many a man had a prior and greater right to YOUNG SOCRATES: Quite right; but how shall share in such an art than any king.
we take the next step in the division?
YOUNG SOCRATES: True.
STRANGER: As before we divided the art of ‘rearing’ herds accordingly as they were land or water STRANGER: But no other art or science will have herds, winged and wingless, mixing or not mixing a prior or better right than the royal science to care the breed, horned and hornless, so we may divide for human society and to rule over men in general.
by these same differences the ‘tending’ of herds, comprehending in our definition the kingship of YOUNG SOCRATES: Quite true.
to-day and the rule of Cronos.
STRANGER: In the next place, Socrates, we must 81
Statesman
surely notice that a great error was committed at herd from the human guardian or manager.
the end of our analysis.
YOUNG SOCRATES: True.
YOUNG SOCRATES: What was it?
STRANGER: And the art of management which is STRANGER: Why, supposing we were ever so sure assigned to man would again have to be subdivided.
that there is such an art as the art of rearing or feeding bipeds, there was no reason why we should YOUNG SOCRATES: On what principle?
call this the royal or political art, as though there were no more to be said.
STRANGER: On the principle of voluntary and compulsory.
YOUNG SOCRATES: Certainly not.
YOUNG SOCRATES: Why?
STRANGER: Our first duty, as we were saying, was to remodel the name, so as to have the notion of STRANGER: Because, if I am not mistaken, there care rather than of feeding, and then to divide, for has been an error here; for our simplicity led us to there may be still considerable divisions.
rank king and tyrant together, whereas they are utterly distinct, like their modes of government.
YOUNG SOCRATES: How can they be made?
YOUNG SOCRATES: True.
STRANGER: First, by separating the divine shep-82
Plato
STRANGER: Then, now, as I said, let us make the partly out of a magnanimous desire to expose our correction and divide human care into two parts, former error, and also because we imagined that a on the principle of voluntary and compulsory.
king required grand illustrations, have taken up a marvellous lump of fable, and have been obliged to YOUNG SOCRATES: Certainly.
use more than was necessary. This made us discourse at large, and, nevertheless, the story never came to STRANGER: And if we call the management of vio-an end. And our discussion might be compared to a lent rulers tyranny, and the voluntary management picture of some living being which had been fairly of herds of voluntary bipeds politics, may we not drawn in outline, but had not yet attained the life further assert that he who has this latter art of man-and clearness which is given by the blending of agement is the true king and statesman?
colours. Now to intelligent persons a living being had better be delineated by language and discourse YOUNG SOCRATES: I think, Stranger, that we than by any painting or work of art: to the duller have now completed the account of the Statesman.
sort by works of art.
STRANGER: Would that we had, Socrates, but I YOUNG SOCRATES: Very true; but what is the have to satisfy myself as well as you; and in my imperfection which still remains? I wish that you judgment the figure of the king is not yet perfected; would tell me.
like statuaries who, in their too great haste, having overdone the several parts of their work, lose time STRANGER: The higher ideas, my dear friend, can in cutting them down, so too we, partly out of haste, hardly be set forth except through the medium of 83
Statesman
examples; every man seems to know all things in a YOUNG SOCRATES: What are you going to say?
dreamy sort of way, and then again to wake up and to know nothing.
STRANGER: That they distinguish the several letters well enough in very short and easy syllables, YOUNG SOCRATES: What do you mean?
and are able to tell them correctly.
STRANGER: I fear that I have been unfortunate in YOUNG SOCRATES: Certainly.
raising a question about our experience of knowledge.
STRANGER: Whereas in other syllables they do not recognize them, and think and speak falsely of YOUNG SOCRATES: Why so?
them.
STRANGER: Why, because my ‘example’ requires YOUNG SOCRATES: Very true.
the assistance of another example.
STRANGER: Will not the best and easiest way of YOUNG SOCRATES: Proceed; you need not fear bringing them to a knowledge of what they do not that I shall tire.
as yet know be—
STRANGER: I will proceed, finding, as I do, such a YOUNG SOCRATES: Be what?
ready listener in you: when children are beginning to know their letters—
STRANGER: To refer them first of all to cases in 84
Plato
which they judge correctly about the letters in ques-STRANGER: Can we wonder, then, that the soul tion, and then to compare these with the cases in has the same uncertainty about the alphabet of which they do not as yet know, and to show them things, and sometimes and in some cases is firmly that the letters are the same, and have the same fixed by the truth in each particular, and then, again, character in both combinations, until all cases in in other cases is altogether at sea; having somehow which they are right have been placed side by side or other a correct notion of combinations; but when with all cases in which they are wrong. In this way the elements are transferred into the long and diffi-they have examples, and are made to learn that each cult language (syllables) of facts, is again ignorant letter in every combination is always the same and of them?
not another, and is always called by the same name.
YOUNG SOCRATES: There is nothing wonderful YOUNG SOCRATES: Certainly.
in that.
STRANGER: Are not examples formed in this man-STRANGER: Could any one, my friend, who bener? We take a thing and compare it with another gan with false opinion ever expect to arrive even at distinct instance of the same thing, of which we a small portion of truth and to attain wisdom?
have a right conception, and out of the comparison there arises one true notion, which includes both YOUNG SOCRATES: Hardly.
of them.
STRANGER: Then you and I will not be far wrong YOUNG SOCRATES: Exactly.
in trying to see the nature of example in general in 85
Statesman
a small and particular instance; afterwards from example at hand, we choose weaving, or, more pre-lesser things we intend to pass to the royal class, cisely, weaving of wool—this will be quite enough, which is the highest form of the same nature, and without taking the whole of weaving, to illustrate endeavour to discover by rules of art what the man-our meaning?
agement of cities is; and then the dream will become a reality to us.
YOUNG SOCRATES: Certainly.
YOUNG SOCRATES: Very true.
STRANGER: Why should we not apply to weaving the same processes of division and subdivision STRANGER: Then, once more, let us resume the which we have already applied to other classes; go-previous argument, and as there were innumerable ing once more as rapidly as we can through all the rivals of the royal race who claim to have the care steps until we come to that which is needed for our of states, let us part them all off, and leave him purpose?
alone; and, as I was saying, a model or example of this process has first to be framed.
YOUNG SOCRATES: How do you mean?
YOUNG SOCRATES: Exactly.
STRANGER: I shall reply by actually performing the process.
STRANGER: What model is there which is small, and yet has any analogy with the political occupa-YOUNG SOCRATES: Very good.
tion? Suppose, Socrates, that if we have no other 86
Plato
STRANGER: All things which we make or acquire that largest portion of it which was concerned with are either creative or preventive; of the preventive the making of clothes, differs only in name from class are antidotes, divine and human, and also de-this art of clothing, in the same way that, in the fences; and defences are either military weapons or previous case, the royal science differed from the protections; and protections are veils, and also political?
shields against heat and cold, and shields against heat and cold are shelters and coverings; and cover-YOUNG SOCRATES: Most true.
ings are blankets and garments; and garments are some of them in one piece, and others of them are STRANGER: In the next place, let us make the re-made in several parts; and of these latter some are flection, that the art of weaving clothes, which an stitched, others are fastened and not stitched; and incompetent person might fancy to have been suf-of the not stitched, some are made of the sinews of ficiently described, has been separated off from sev-plants, and some of hair; and of these, again, some eral others which are of the same family, but not are cemented with water and earth, and others are from the co-operative arts.
fastened together by themselves. And these last defences and coverings which are fastened together YOUNG SOCRATES: And which are the kindred by themselves are called clothes, and the art which arts?
superintends them we may call, from the nature of the operation, the art of clothing, just as before the STRANGER: I see that I have not taken you with art of the Statesman was derived from the State; me. So I think that we had better go backwards, and may we not say that the art of weaving, at least starting from the end. We just now parted off from 87
Statesman
the weaving of clothes, the making of blankets, ing, and in general in carpentering, and in other which differ from each other in that one is put un-crafts, and all such arts as furnish impediments to der and the other is put around: and these are what thieving and acts of violence, and are concerned I termed kindred arts.
with making the lids of boxes and the fixing of doors, being divisions of the art of joining; and we also cut YOUNG SOCRATES: I understand.
off the manufacture of arms, which is a section of the great and manifold art of making defences; and STRANGER: And we have subtracted the manu-we originally began by parting off the whole of the facture of all articles made of flax and cords, and all magic art which is concerned with antidotes, and that we just now metaphorically termed the sinews have left, as would appear, the very art of which we of plants, and we have also separated off the pro-were in search, the art of protection against winter cess of felting and the putting together of materials cold, which fabricates woollen defences, and has by stitching and sewing, of which the most impor-the name of weaving.
tant part is the cobbler’s art.
YOUNG SOCRATES: Very true.
YOUNG SOCRATES: Precisely.
STRANGER: Yes, my boy, but that is not all; for STRANGER: Then we separated off the currier’s the first process to which the material is subjected art, which prepared coverings in entire pieces, and is the opposite of weaving.
the art of sheltering, and subtracted the various arts of making water-tight which are employed in build-YOUNG SOCRATES: How so?