protagoras-第4章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！




better　man；　and　on　every　day　will　grow　in　like　manner；…In　what；



Protagoras；　will　he　be　better？　and　about　what？



　　When　Protagoras　heard　me　say　this；　he　replied：　You　ask　questions



fairly；　and　I　like　to　answer　a　question　which　is　fairly　put。　If



Hippocrates　comes　to　me　he　will　not　experience　the　sort　of　drudgery



with　which　other　Sophists　are　in　the　habit　of　insulting　their



pupils；　who；　when　they　have　just　escaped　from　the　arts；　are　taken



and　driven　back　into　them　by　these　teachers；　and　made　to　learn



calculation；　and　astronomy；　and　geometry；　and　music　（he　gave　a　look　at



Hippias　as　he　said　this）；　but　if　he　comes　to　me；　he　will　learn　that



which　he　comes　to　learn。　And　this　is　prudence　in　affairs　private　as



well　as　public；　he　will　learn　to　order　his　own　house　in　the　best



manner；　and　he　will　be　able　to　speak　and　act　for　the　best　in　the



affairs　of　the　state。



　　Do　I　understand　you；　I　said；　and　is　your　meaning　that　you　teach



the　art　of　politics；　and　that　you　promise　to　make　men　good　citizens？



　　That；　Socrates；　is　exactly　the　profession　which　I　make。



　　Then；　I　said；　you　do　indeed　possess　a　noble　art；　if　there　is　no





mistake　about　this；　for　I　will　freely　confess　to　you；　Protagoras；　that



I　have　a　doubt　whether　this　art　is　capable　of　being　taught；　and　yet



I　know　not　how　to　disbelieve　your　assertion。　And　I　ought　to　tell　you



why　I　am　of　opinion　that　this　art　cannot　be　taught　or　communicated



by　man　to　man。　I　say　that　the　Athenians　are　an　understanding　people；



and　indeed　they　are　esteemed　to　be　such　by　the　other　Hellenes。　Now　I



observe　that　when　we　are　met　together　in　the　assembly；　and　the



matter　in　hand　relates　to　building；　the　builders　are　summoned　as



advisers；　when　the　question　is　one　of　shipbuilding；　then　the



ship…wrights；　and　the　like　of　other　arts　which　they　think　capable　of



being　taught　and　learned。　And　if　some　person　offers　to　give　them



advice　who　is　not　supposed　by　them　to　have　any　skill　in　the　art；



even　though　he　be　good…looking；　and　rich；　and　noble；　they　will　not



listen　to　him；　but　laugh　and　hoot　at　him；　until　either　he　is　clamoured



down　and　retires　of　himself；　or　if　he　persist；　he　is　dragged　away　or



put　out　by　the　constables　at　the　command　of　the　prytanes。　This　is



their　way　of　behaving　about　professors　of　the　arts。　But　when　the



question　is　an　affair　of　state；　then　everybody　is　free　to　have　a



say…carpenter；　tinker；　cobbler；　sailor；　passenger；　rich　and　poor；　high



and　low…any　one　who　likes　gets　up；　and　no　one　reproaches　him；　as　in



the　former　case；　with　not　having　learned；　and　having　no　teacher；　and



yet　giving　advice；　evidently　because　they　are　under　the　impression



that　this　sort　of　knowledge　cannot　be　taught。　And　not　only　is　this



true　of　the　state；　but　of　individuals；　the　best　and　wisest　of　our



citizens　are　unable　to　impart　their　political　wisdom　to　others：　as　for



example；　Pericles；　the　father　of　these　young　men；　who　gave　them



excellent　instruction　in　all　that　could　be　learned　from　masters；　in



his　own　department　of　politics　neither　taught　them；　nor　gave　them



teachers；　but　they　were　allowed　to　wander　at　their　own　free　will　in



a　sort　of　hope　that　they　would　light　upon　virtue　of　their　own



accord。　Or　take　another　example：　there　was　Cleinias　the　younger



brother　of　our　friend　Alcibiades；　of　whom　this　very　same　Pericles



was　the　guardian；　and　he　being　in　fact　under　the　apprehension　that



Cleinias　would　be　corrupted　by　Alcibiades；　took　him　away；　and　placed



him　in　the　house　of　Ariphron　to　be　educated；　but　before　six　months　had



elapsed；　Ariphron　sent　him　back；　not　knowing　what　to　do　with　him。



And　I　could　mention　numberless　other　instances　of　persons　who　were



good　themselves；　and　never　yet　made　any　one　else　good；　whether



friend　or　stranger。　Now　I；　Protagoras；　having　these　examples　before



me；　am　inclined　to　think　that　virtue　cannot　be　taught。　But　then　again；



when　I　listen　to　your　words；　I　waver；　and　am　disposed　to　think　that



there　must　be　something　in　what　you　say；　because　I　know　that　you



have　great　experience；　and　learning；　and　invention。　And　I　wish　that



you　would；　if　possible；　show　me　a　little　more　clearly　that　virtue



can　be　taught。　Will　you　be　so　good？



　　That　I　will；　Socrates；　and　gladly。　But　what　would　you　like？　Shall　I；



as　an　elder；　speak　to　you　as　younger　men　in　an　apologue　or　myth；　or



shall　I　argue　out　the　question？



　　To　this　several　of　the　company　answered　that　he　should　choose　for



himself。



　　Well；　then；　he　said；　I　think　that　the　myth　will　be　more　interesting。



　　Once　upon　a　time　there　were　gods　only；　and　no　mortal　creatures。



But　when　the　time　came　that　these　also　should　be　created；　the　gods



fashioned　them　out　of　earth　and　fire　and　various　mixtures　of　both



elements　in　the　interior　of　the　earth；　and　when　they　were　about　to



bring　them　into　the　light　of　day；　they　ordered　Prometheus　and



Epimetheus　to　equip　them；　and　to　distribute　to　them　severally　their



proper　qualities。　Epimetheus　said　to　Prometheus：　〃Let　me　distribute；



and　do　you　inspect。〃　This　was　agreed；　and　Epimetheus　made　the



distribution。　There　were　some　to　whom　he　gave　strength　without



swiftness；　while　he　equipped　the　weaker　with　swiftness；　some　he　armed；



and　others　he　left　unarmed；　and　devised　for　the　latter　some　other



means　of　preservation；　making　some　large；　and　having　their　size　as　a



protection；　and　others　small；　whose　nature　was　to　fly　in　the　air　or



burrow　in　the　ground；　this　was　to　be　their　way　of　escape。　Thus　did



he　compensate　them　with　the　view　of　preventing　any　race　from



becoming　extinct。　And　when　he　had　provided　against　their　destruction



by　one　another；　he　contrived　also　a　means　of　protecting　them　against



the　seasons　of　heaven；　clothing　them　with　close　hair　and　thick　skins



sufficient　to　defend　them　against　the　winter　cold　and　able　to　resist



the　summer　heat；　so　that　they　might　have　a　natural　bed　of　their　own



when　they　wanted　to　rest；　also　he　furnished　them　with　hoofs　and　hair



and　hard　and　callous　skins　under　their　feet。　Then　he　gave　them



varieties　of　food…herb　of　the　soil　to　some；　to　others　fruits　of　trees；



and　to　others　roots；　and　to　some　again　he　gave　other　animals　as



food。　And　some　he　made　to　have　few　young　ones；　while　those　who　were



their　prey　were　very　prolific；　and　in　this　manner　the　race　was



preserved。　Thus　did　Epimetheus；　who；　not　being　very　wise；　forgot



that　he　had　distributed　among　the　brute　animals　all　the　qualities



which　he　had　to　give…and　when　he　came　to　man；　who　was　still



unprovided；　he　was　terribly　perplexed。　Now　while　he　was　in　this



perplexity；　Prometheus　came　to　inspect　the　distribution；　and　he



found　that　the　other　animals　were　suitably　furnished；　but　that　man



alone　was　naked　and　shoeless；　and　had　neither　bed　nor　arms　of　defence。



The　appointed　hour　was　approaching　when　man　in　his　turn　was　to　go



forth　into　the　light　of　day；　and　Prometheus；　not　knowing　how　he



could　devise　his　salvation；　stole　the　mechanical　arts　of　Hephaestus



and　Athene；　and　fire　with　them　（they　could　neither　have　been



acquired　nor　used　without　fire）；　and　gave　them　to　man。　Thus　man　had



the　wisdom　necessary　to　the　support　of　life；　but　political　wisdom　he



had　not；　for　that　was　in　the　keeping　of　Zeus；　and　the　power　of



Prometheus　did　not　extend　to　entering　into　the　citadel　of　heaven；



where　Zeus　dwelt；　who　moreover　had　terrible　sentinels；　but　he　did



enter　by　stealth　into　the　common　workshop　of　Athene　and　Hephaestus；　in



which　they　used　to　practise　their　favourite　arts；　and　carried　off



Hephaestus'　art　of　working　by　fire；　and　also　the　art　of　Athene；　and



gave　them　to　man。　And　in　this　way　man　was　supplied　with　the　means　of



life。　But　Prometheus　is　said　to　have　been　afterwards　prosecuted　for



theft；　owing　to　the　blunder　of　Epimetheus。



　　Now　man；　having　a　share　of　the　divine　attributes；　was　at　first　the



only　one　of　the　animals　who　had　any