phaedo-第14章

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best　for　all。　I　had　hopes　which　I　would　not　have　sold　for　much；　and



I　seized　the　books　and　read　them　as　fast　as　I　could　in　my　eagerness　to



know　the　better　and　the　worse。



　　What　hopes　I　had　formed；　and　how　grievously　was　I　disappointed！　As　I



proceeded；　I　found　my　philosopher　altogether　forsaking　mind　or　any



other　principle　of　order；　but　having　recourse　to　air；　and　ether；　and



water；　and　other　eccentricities。　I　might　compare　him　to　a　person　who



began　by　maintaining　generally　that　mind　is　the　cause　of　the　actions



of　Socrates；　but　who；　when　he　endeavored　to　explain　the　causes　of　my



several　actions　in　detail；　went　on　to　show　that　I　sit　here　because



my　body　is　made　up　of　bones　and　muscles；　and　the　bones；　as　he　would



say；　are　hard　and　have　ligaments　which　divide　them；　and　the　muscles



are　elastic；　and　they　cover　the　bones；　which　have　also　a　covering　or



environment　of　flesh　and　skin　which　contains　them；　and　as　the　bones



are　lifted　at　their　joints　by　the　contraction　or　relaxation　of　the



muscles；　I　am　able　to　bend　my　limbs；　and　this　is　why　I　am　sitting　here



in　a　curved　posture：　that　is　what　he　would　say；　and　he　would　have　a



similar　explanation　of　my　talking　to　you；　which　he　would　attribute



to　sound；　and　air；　and　hearing；　and　he　would　assign　ten　thousand　other



causes　of　the　same　sort；　forgetting　to　mention　the　true　cause；　which



is　that　the　Athenians　have　thought　fit　to　condemn　me；　and



accordingly　I　have　thought　it　better　and　more　right　to　remain　here　and



undergo　my　sentence；　for　I　am　inclined　to　think　that　these　muscles　and



bones　of　mine　would　have　gone　off　to　Megara　or　Boeotia…by　the　dog　of



Egypt　they　would；　if　they　had　been　guided　only　by　their　own　idea　of



what　was　best；　and　if　I　had　not　chosen　as　the　better　and　nobler



part；　instead　of　playing　truant　and　running　away；　to　undergo　any



punishment　which　the　State　inflicts。　There　is　surely　a　strange



confusion　of　causes　and　conditions　in　all　this。　It　may　be　said；



indeed；　that　without　bones　and　muscles　and　the　other　parts　of　the　body



I　cannot　execute　my　purposes。　But　to　say　that　I　do　as　I　do　because



of　them；　and　that　this　is　the　way　in　which　mind　acts；　and　not　from　the



choice　of　the　best；　is　a　very　careless　and　idle　mode　of　speaking。　I



wonder　that　they　cannot　distinguish　the　cause　from　the　condition；



which　the　many；　feeling　about　in　the　dark；　are　always　mistaking　and



misnaming。　And　thus　one　man　makes　a　vortex　all　round　and　steadies



the　earth　by　the　heaven；　another　gives　the　air　as　a　support　to　the



earth；　which　is　a　sort　of　broad　trough。　Any　power　which　in　disposing



them　as　they　are　disposes　them　for　the　best　never　enters　into　their



minds；　nor　do　they　imagine　that　there　is　any　superhuman　strength　in



that；　they　rather　expect　to　find　another　Atlas　of　the　world　who　is



stronger　and　more　everlasting　and　more　containing　than　the　good　is；



and　are　clearly　of　opinion　that　the　obligatory　and　containing　power　of



the　good　is　as　nothing；　and　yet　this　is　the　principle　which　I　would



fain　learn　if　anyone　would　teach　me。　But　as　I　have　failed　either　to



discover　myself　or　to　learn　of　anyone　else；　the　nature　of　the　best；



I　will　exhibit　to　you；　if　you　like；　what　I　have　found　to　be　the　second



best　mode　of　inquiring　into　the　cause。



　　I　should　very　much　like　to　hear　that；　he　replied。



　　Socrates　proceeded：　I　thought　that　as　I　had　failed　in　the



contemplation　of　true　existence；　I　ought　to　be　careful　that　I　did



not　lose　the　eye　of　my　soul；　as　people　may　injure　their　bodily　eye



by　observing　and　gazing　on　the　sun　during　an　eclipse；　unless　they　take



the　precaution　of　only　looking　at　the　image　reflected　in　the　water；　or



in　some　similar　medium。　That　occurred　to　me；　and　I　was　afraid　that



my　soul　might　be　blinded　altogether　if　I　looked　at　things　with　my　eyes



or　tried　by　the　help　of　the　senses　to　apprehend　them。　And　I　thought



that　I　had　better　have　recourse　to　ideas；　and　seek　in　them　the　truth



of　existence。　I　dare　say　that　the　simile　is　not　perfect…for　I　am



very　far　from　admitting　that　he　who　contemplates　existence　through　the



medium　of　ideas；　sees　them　only　〃through　a　glass　darkly；〃　any　more



than　he　who　sees　them　in　their　working　and　effects。　However；　this



was　the　method　which　I　adopted：　I　first　assumed　some　principle　which　I



judged　to　be　the　strongest；　and　then　I　affirmed　as　true　whatever



seemed　to　agree　with　this；　whether　relating　to　the　cause　or　to



anything　else；　and　that　which　disagreed　I　regarded　as　untrue。　But　I



should　like　to　explain　my　meaning　clearly；　as　I　do　not　think　that



you　understand　me。



　　No；　indeed；　replied　Cebes；　not　very　well。



　　There　is　nothing　new；　he　said；　in　what　I　am　about　to　tell　you；　but



only　what　I　have　been　always　and　everywhere　repeating　in　the



previous　discussion　and　on　other　occasions：　I　want　to　show　you　the



nature　of　that　cause　which　has　occupied　my　thoughts；　and　I　shall



have　to　go　back　to　those　familiar　words　which　are　in　the　mouth　of



everyone；　and　first　of　all　assume　that　there　is　an　absolute　beauty　and



goodness　and　greatness；　and　the　like；　grant　me　this；　and　I　hope　to



be　able　to　show　you　the　nature　of　the　cause；　and　to　prove　the



immortality　of　the　soul。



　　Cebes　said：　You　may　proceed　at　once　with　the　proof；　as　I　readily



grant　you　this。



　　Well；　he　said；　then　I　should　like　to　know　whether　you　agree　with



me　in　the　next　step；　for　I　cannot　help　thinking　that　if　there　be



anything　beautiful　other　than　absolute　beauty；　that　can　only　be



beautiful　in　as　far　as　it　partakes　of　absolute　beauty…and　this　I



should　say　of　everything。　Do　you　agree　in　this　notion　of　the　cause？



　　Yes；　he　said；　I　agree。



　　He　proceeded：　I　know　nothing　and　can　understand　nothing　of　any　other



of　those　wise　causes　which　are　alleged；　and　if　a　person　says　to　me



that　the　bloom　of　color；　or　form；　or　anything　else　of　that　sort　is　a



source　of　beauty；　I　leave　all　that；　which　is　only　confusing　to　me；　and



simply　and　singly；　and　perhaps　foolishly；　hold　and　am　assured　in　my



own　mind　that　nothing　makes　a　thing　beautiful　but　the　presence　and



participation　of　beauty　in　whatever　way　or　manner　obtained；　for　as



to　the　manner　I　am　uncertain；　but　I　stoutly　contend　that　by　beauty　all



beautiful　things　become　beautiful。　That　appears　to　me　to　be　the　only



safe　answer　that　I　can　give；　either　to　myself　or　to　any　other；　and



to　that　I　cling；　in　the　persuasion　that　I　shall　never　be　overthrown；



and　that　I　may　safely　answer　to　myself　or　any　other　that　by　beauty



beautiful　things　become　beautiful。　Do　you　not　agree　to　that？



　　Yes；　I　agree。



　　And　that　by　greatness　only　great　things　become　great　and　greater



greater；　and　by　smallness　the　less　becomes　less。



　　True。



　　Then　if　a　person　remarks　that　A　is　taller　by　a　head　than　B；　and　B



less　by　a　head　than　A；　you　would　refuse　to　admit　this；　and　would



stoutly　contend　that　what　you　mean　is　only　that　the　greater　is　greater



by；　and　by　reason　of；　greatness；　and　the　less　is　less　only　by；　or　by



reason　of；　smallness；　and　thus　you　would　avoid　the　danger　of　saying



that　the　greater　is　greater　and　the　less　by　the　measure　of　the　head；



which　is　the　same　in　both；　and　would　also　avoid　the　monstrous



absurdity　of　supposing　that　the　greater　man　is　greater　by　reason　of



the　head；　which　is　small。　Would　you　not　be　afraid　of　that？



　　Indeed；　I　should；　said　Cebes；　laughing。



　　In　like　manner　you　would　be　afraid　to　say　that　ten　exceeded　eight



by；　and　by　reason　of；　two；　but　would　say　by；　and　by　reason　of；　number；



or　that　two　cubits　exceed　one　cubit　not　by　a　half；　but　by



magnitude？…that　is　what　you　would　say；　for　there　is　the　same　danger　in



both　cases。



　　Very　true；　he　said。



　　Again；　would　you　not　be　cautious　of　affirming　that　the　addition　of



one　to　one；　or　the　division　of　one；　is　the　cause　of　two？　And　you　would



loudly　asseverate　that　you　know　of　no　way　in　which　anything　c