登陆注册
5656400000009

第9章

He and his fellow-workmen have taught them to the best of their ability,-but who will carry them further in their arts? And you would certainly have a difficulty, Socrates, in finding a teacher of them; but there would be no difficulty in finding a teacher of those who are wholly ignorant. And this is true of virtue or of anything else; if a man is better able than we are to promote virtue ever so little, we must be content with the result. A teacher of this sort Ibelieve myself to be, and above all other men to have the knowledge which makes a man noble and good; and I give my pupils their money's-worth, and even more, as they themselves confess. And therefore I have introduced the following mode of payment:-When a man has been my pupil, if he likes he pays my price, but there is no compulsion; and if he does not like, he has only to go into a temple and take an oath of the value of the instructions, and he pays no more than he declares to be their value.

Such is my Apologue, Socrates, and such is the argument by which Iendeavour to show that virtue may be taught, and that this is the opinion of the Athenians. And I have also attempted to show that you are not to wonder at good fathers having bad sons, or at good sons having bad fathers, of which the sons of Polycleitus afford an example, who are the companions of our friends here, Paralus and Xanthippus, but are nothing in comparison with their father; and this is true of the sons of many other artists. As yet I ought not to say the same of Paralus and Xanthippus themselves, for they are young and there is still hope of them.

Protagoras ended, and in my earSo charming left his voice, that I the while Thought him still speaking; still stood fixed to hear.

At length, when the truth dawned upon me, that he had really finished, not without difficulty I began to collect myself, and looking at Hippocrates, I said to him: O son of Apollodorus, how deeply grateful I am to you for having brought me hither; I would not have missed the speech of Protagoras for a great deal. For I used to imagine that no human care could make men good; but I know better now.

Yet I have still one very small difficulty which I am sure that Protagoras will easily explain, as he has already explained so much.

If a man were to go and consult Pericles or any of our great speakers about these matters, he might perhaps hear as fine a discourse; but then when one has a question to ask of any of them, like books, they can neither answer nor ask; and if any one challenges the least particular of their speech, they go ringing on in a long harangue, like brazen pots, which when they are struck continue to sound unless some one puts his hand upon them; whereas our friend Protagoras can not only make a good speech, as he has already shown, but when he is asked a question he can answer briefly; and when he asks he will wait and hear the answer; and this is a very rare gift.

Now I, Protagoras, want to ask of you a little question, which if you will only answer, I shall be quite satisfied. You were saying that virtue can be taught;-that I will take upon your authority, and there is no one to whom I am more ready to trust. But I marvel at one thing about which I should like to have my mind set at rest. You were speaking of Zeus sending justice and reverence to men; and several times while you were speaking, justice, and temperance, and holiness, and all these qualities, were described by you as if together they made up virtue. Now I want you to tell me truly whether virtue is one whole, of which justice and temperance and holiness are parts; or whether all these are only the names of one and the same thing: that is the doubt which still lingers in my mind.

There is no difficulty, Socrates, in answering that the qualities of which you are speaking are the parts of virtue which is one.

And are they parts, I said, in the same sense in which mouth, nose, and eyes, and ears, are the parts of a face; or are they like the parts of gold, which differ from the whole and from one another only in being larger or smaller?

I should say that they differed, Socrates, in the first way; they are related to one another as the parts of a face are related to the whole face.

And do men have some one part and some another part of virtue? Of if a man has one part, must he also have all the others?

By no means, he said; for many a man is brave and not just, or just and not wise.

You would not deny, then, that courage and wisdom are also parts of virtue?

Most undoubtedly they are, he answered; and wisdom is the noblest of the parts.

And they are all different from one another? I said.

Yes.

And has each of them a distinct function like the parts of the face;-the eye, for example, is not like the ear, and has not the same functions; and the other parts are none of them like one another, either in their functions, or in any other way? I want to know whether the comparison holds concerning the parts of virtue. Do they also differ from one another in themselves and in their functions? For that is clearly what the simile would imply.

Yes, Socrates, you are right in supposing that they differ.

Then, I said, no other part of virtue is like knowledge, or like justice, or like courage, or like temperance, or like holiness?

No, he answered.

Well then, I said, suppose that you and I enquire into their natures. And first, you would agree with me that justice is of the nature of a thing, would you not? That is my opinion: would it not be yours also?

Mine also, he said.

And suppose that some one were to ask us, saying, "O Protagoras, and you, Socrates, what about this thing which you were calling justice, is it just or unjust?"-and I were to answer, just: would you vote with me or against me?

With you, he said.

Thereupon I should answer to him who asked me, that justice is of the nature of the just: would not you?

Yes, he said.

And suppose that he went on to say: "Well now, is there also such a thing as holiness? "we should answer, "Yes," if I am not mistaken?

Yes, he said.

Which you would also acknowledge to be a thing-should we not say so?

He assented.

同类推荐
  • 漱华随笔

    漱华随笔

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 惜香乐府

    惜香乐府

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 广嗣纪要

    广嗣纪要

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 十二天供仪轨

    十二天供仪轨

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 谷山笔麈

    谷山笔麈

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 一朵一朵的阳光

    一朵一朵的阳光

    《一朵一朵的阳光》共分为五辑,主要内容包括:你的容量有几何;感谢疼痛;起身的饺子落身的面;天使的产房;原谅一张蛛网。《一朵一朵的阳光》为我们打开了一扇窗户,我们看到了世界的美好,只要我们心中有爱。
  • 兰谱

    兰谱

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 快穿直播之宿主太病娇

    快穿直播之宿主太病娇

    新书:《快穿:黑化主神太病娇》流妃颖是小说里的炮灰反派,她被虐致死。因怨气太重,被蠢萌系统绑定。因天命成为主神的她和萌宝穿越三千世界,虐渣男贱女自称家常便饭。只是…身后的男人看跟着她干啥?#禁欲和尚双手合十:“施主,往事不如皆忘了。”莲魅郁闷:“忘不掉!!”……花妖惑世、……此书练笔为练笔,不要入坑……
  • 任逍遥

    任逍遥

    命运的巨轮,精神的锁链,在千古遗梦中看清了自己;时间的碰撞,空间的交融,在天地变化中看清了世界。用尽一生的追寻,倾其所有的奉献,最终尽是枉然。面对苍穹的呼喊,打开那把生锈的巨锁,得到真正的自己。在天地中仗剑凌云,在人生中一剑任逍遥!
  • 追妻无门:女boss不好惹

    追妻无门:女boss不好惹

    青涩蜕变,如今她是能独当一面的女boss,爱了冷泽聿七年,也同样花了七年时间去忘记他。以为是陌路,他突然向他表白,扬言要娶她,她只当他是脑子抽风,他的殷勤她也全都无视。他帮她查她父母的死因,赶走身边情敌,解释当初拒绝她的告别,和故意对她冷漠都是无奈之举。突然爆出她父母的死居然和冷家有丝毫联系,还莫名跳出个公爵未婚夫,扬言要与她履行婚约。峰回路转,破镜还能重圆吗? PS:我又开新文了,每逢假期必书荒,新文《有你的世界遇到爱》,喜欢我的文的朋友可以来看看,这是重生类现言,对这个题材感兴趣的一定要收藏起来。
  • 唐少,你老婆要离婚

    唐少,你老婆要离婚

    【全本完】他精如狐,强势霸道,唯独只对她一往情深。他运筹帷幄,步步为营,只为把她娶回家。~~~~~~订婚宴,他未婚妻跑了,现场他抓了个女人订婚,他说他们是一见钟情。转身,她只留下一枚婚戒和一句话给他:戏终了,人便散!手指合拢,她所戴过的婚戒牢牢在他的掌心里,他笑得高深莫测:女人,这还没完呢!一场风波,他成功把她变成名付其实的唐太太,她咬牙切齿:“唐亦森,要是让我知道是你干的,我绝对不放过你。”坐实模范夫妻头衔,他们婚后的生活还算多姿多彩的,在某天的不期而遇后,却悄然拉开了无硝烟的战争……那个女人撞了她的车,他还让她坐他车的副驾……唐亦森,你混蛋!逢场做戏,他利用她?贱!唐太太怒了:“唐亦森,我要和你离婚,立刻马上!”唐先生一脸情深:“老婆,乖,别闹了!”
  • 假面女生:俘虏良家少年2

    假面女生:俘虏良家少年2

    他是温柔的小男生,她是强悍的大女孩。一个玩世不恭嗜酒抽烟,一个好好学习天天向上;一个日夜颠倒自甘堕落,一个按时休息身体棒棒;一个清高自负骄傲自信,一个体贴低调如沐春风当两个性格生活完全相反的人产生交集,到底会擦出怎样的火花,小麻雀最终会俘虏大凤凰吗?
  • 成为了女剑神

    成为了女剑神

    女剑神:哥斯拉你看起来很好吃!女剑神:小夜来痛快的对砍吧!女剑神:灭霸把无限宝石交出来吧!女剑神:来吧不同位面的强者们,让我们疯狂的对砍吧!成为女剑神之后穿越不同的位面,不断的寻求着最强者渴望一战!
  • 夫君来袭之娘子当自强

    夫君来袭之娘子当自强

    【正剧版简介】简介无能,看看就好,正文如何,任君点评。————————————睁开眼的那一刻,她挨了重重的一巴掌,脸颊通红,可是她却喜极而泣一梦穿越,竟找回了现代为她而亡的哥哥她是现代的复仇的女王,亦是今世萧家的小女,报仇得遂,她如今唯一的心愿就是守护萧家这一片宁静的天空可是萧家一门,荣冠江湖朝堂,得先帝丹书铁劵准其独家开采铁矿,这般荣宠,真真将萧家捧上了天,却也将萧家置于绝顶危险之中。三代已过,一门衰微,萧家风雨飘摇四方势起,江湖争霸,谁能成为五湖霸主?——————————————————温柔的他说,有我在,定护你一生。深情的他说,若你不愿离开萧家,便你娶,我嫁,如何?霸道的他说,从今往后,胆敢有一人犯你,我便灭他全家!狂放的他说:门口一匹马,如果你想走,我就陪你策马江湖,笑傲天涯还有他,他,他……她说她本是淡漠之人,无意掀纷争,却不想纷争自上门,无意惹桃花,却不料路过亦染身……她说,她有一根青竹盲竿,可以为她寻一条明路,却不知如何面对这许多的厚爱深情……—————————————————————【片段一】繁星点点,星光如梦,她与他相隔三步他问她:你究竟在怕什么?对我的感情,向前一步就这么困难么?她闭上双眼,思绪飘向遥远不知何方的未来:我只怕梦里不知身是客【片段二】暖风徐徐,花香阵阵,她靠在他的肩头他问她:小妹,世人皆笑我,你,会嫌弃我吗?她紧张的抓着他的手臂:哥,你会不要小妹么?【附送小白片段三】轰隆隆,天老爷在打雷某男抱着某女撒娇道:打雷了,好怕怕,小颜颜,伦家今晚跟你睡好不好?某女一脚将男人踹下去:惊雷掌不是你的绝技吗?装什么装!
  • 八千湘女上天山

    八千湘女上天山

    五十年代初,新疆和平解放,新中国的决策者们命令驻疆二十万官兵垦荒屯田,扎根新疆,立志改变自古以来屯垦一代而终的局面,以达到长治久安的战略目的。在党中央建设新疆的号召下,一场轰轰烈烈的参军狂潮席卷了湖南三湘四水,一时间,激情澎湃的湘女们蜂拥古都长沙,报名参军。