YOUNG SOCRATES: I do not understand.
throughout a great part of nature.
STRANGER: Let me put the matter in another way: YOUNG SOCRATES: How singular!
I suppose that you would consider courage to be a part of virtue?
STRANGER: Yes, very—for all the parts of virtue are commonly said to be friendly to one another.
YOUNG SOCRATES: Certainly I should.
YOUNG SOCRATES: Yes.
STRANGER: And you would think temperance to be different from courage; and likewise to be a part STRANGER: Then let us carefully investigate of virtue?
whether this is universally true, or whether there are not parts of virtue which are at war with their YOUNG SOCRATES: True.
kindred in some respect.
STRANGER: I shall venture to put forward a strange YOUNG SOCRATES: Tell me how we shall con-theory about them.
sider that question.
YOUNG SOCRATES: What is it?
STRANGER: We must extend our enquiry to all those things which we consider beautiful and at the STRANGER: That they are two principles which same time place in two opposite classes.
thoroughly hate one another and are antagonistic 132
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YOUNG SOCRATES: Explain; what are they?
let us consider these notions with reference to the opposite classes of action under which they fall.
STRANGER: Acuteness and quickness, whether in When we praise quickness and energy and acute-body or soul or in the movement of sound, and the ness, whether of mind or body or sound, we ex-imitations of them which painting and music sup-press our praise of the quality which we admire by ply, you must have praised yourself before now, or one word, and that one word is manliness or cour-been present when others praised them.
age.
YOUNG SOCRATES: Certainly.
YOUNG SOCRATES: How?
STRANGER: And do you remember the terms in STRANGER: We speak of an action as energetic which they are praised?
and brave, quick and manly, and vigorous too; and when we apply the name of which I speak as the YOUNG SOCRATES: I do not.
common attribute of all these natures, we certainly praise them.
STRANGER: I wonder whether I can explain to you in words the thought which is passing in my mind.
YOUNG SOCRATES: True.
YOUNG SOCRATES: Why not?
STRANGER: And do we not often praise the quiet strain of action also?
STRANGER: You fancy that this is all so easy: Well, 133
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YOUNG SOCRATES: To be sure.
YOUNG SOCRATES: How so?
STRANGER: And do we not then say the opposite STRANGER: Too great sharpness or quickness or of what we said of the other?
hardness is termed violence or madness; too great slowness or gentleness is called cowardice or slug-YOUNG SOCRATES: How do you mean?
gishness; and we may observe, that for the most part these qualities, and the temperance and man-STRANGER: We exclaim How calm! How temper-liness of the opposite characters, are arrayed as en-ate! in admiration of the slow and quiet working of emies on opposite sides, and do not mingle with the intellect, and of steadiness and gentleness in one another in their respective actions; and if we action, of smoothness and depth of voice, and of pursue the enquiry, we shall find that men who have all rhythmical movement and of music in general, these different qualities of mind differ from one an-when these have a proper solemnity. Of all such other.
actions we predicate not courage, but a name indicative of order.
YOUNG SOCRATES: In what respect?
YOUNG SOCRATES: Very true.
STRANGER: In respect of all the qualities which I mentioned, and very likely of many others. Accord-STRANGER: But when, on the other hand, either ing to their respective affinities to either class of of these is out of place, the names of either are actions they distribute praise and blame,—praise changed into terms of censure.
to the actions which are akin to their own, blame 134
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to those of the opposite party—and out of this many bring up their young men to be like themselves; quarrels and occasions of quarrel arise among them.
they are at the mercy of their enemies; whence in a few years they and their children and the whole YOUNG SOCRATES: True.
city often pass imperceptibly from the condition of freemen into that of slaves.
STRANGER: The difference between the two classes is often a trivial concern; but in a state, and when YOUNG SOCRATES: What a cruel fate!
affecting really important matters, becomes of all disorders the most hateful.
STRANGER: And now think of what happens with the more courageous natures. Are they not always YOUNG SOCRATES: To what do you refer?
inciting their country to go to war, owing to their excessive love of the military life? they raise up STRANGER: To nothing short of the whole regula-enemies against themselves many and mighty, and tion of human life. For the orderly class are always either utterly ruin their native-land or enslave and ready to lead a peaceful life, quietly doing their own subject it to its foes?
business; this is their manner of behaving with all men at home, and they are equally ready to find YOUNG SOCRATES: That, again, is true.
some way of keeping the peace with foreign States.
And on account of this fondness of theirs for peace, STRANGER: Must we not admit, then, that where which is often out of season where their influence these two classes exist, they always feel the greatest prevails, they become by degrees unwarlike, and antipathy and antagonism towards one another?