gorgias-第14章
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? Nay; Socrates; for you profess to be a votary of the truth; and the truth is this:…that luxury and intemperance and licence; if they be provided with means; are virtue and happiness…all the rest is a mere bauble; agreements contrary to nature; foolish talk of men; nothing worth。 Soc。 There is a noble freedom; Callicles; in your way of approaching the argument; for what you say is what the rest of the world think; but do not like to say。 And I must beg of you to persevere; that the true rule of human life may become manifest。 Tell me; then:…you say; do you not; that in the rightly…developed man the passions ought not to be controlled; but that we should let them grow to the utmost and somehow or other satisfy them; and that this is virtue? Cal。 Yes; I do。 Soc。 Then those who want nothing are not truly said to be happy? Cal。 No indeed; for then stones and dead men would be the happiest of all。 Soc。 But surely life according to your view is an awful thing; and indeed I think that Euripides may have been right in saying;
Who knows if life be not death and death life;
and that we are very likely dead; I have heard a philosopher say that at this moment we are actually dead; and that the body (soma) is our tomb (sema); and that the part of the soul which is the seat of the desires is liable to be tossed about by words and blown up and down; and some ingenious person; probably a Sicilian or an Italian; playing with the word; invented a tale in which he called the soul…because of its believing and make…believe nature…a vessel; and the ignorant he called the uninitiated or leaky; and the place in the souls of the uninitiated in which the desires are seated; being the intemperate and incontinent part; he compared to a vessel full of holes; because it can never be satisfied。 He is not of your way of thinking; Callicles; for he declares; that of all the souls in Hades; meaning the invisible world these uninitiated or leaky persons are the most miserable; and that they pour water into a vessel which is full of holes out of a colander which is similarly perforated。 The colander; as my informer assures me; is the soul; and the soul which he compares to a colander is the soul of the ignorant; which is likewise full of holes; and therefore incontinent; owing to a bad memory and want of faith。 These notions are strange enough; but they show the principle which; if I can; I would fain prove to you; that you should change your mind; and; instead of the intemperate and insatiate life; choose that which is orderly and sufficient and has a due provision for daily needs。 Do I make any impression on you; and are you coming over to the opinion that the orderly are happier than the intemperate? Or do I fail to persuade you; and; however many tales I rehearse to you; do you continue of the same opinion still? Cal。 The latter; Socrates; is more like the truth。 Soc。 Well; I will tell you another image; which comes out of the same school:…Let me request you to consider how far you would accept this as an account of the two lives of the temperate and intemperate in a figure:…There are two men; both of whom have a number of casks; the one man has his casks sound and full; one of wine; another of honey; and a third of milk; besides others filled with other liquids; and the streams which fill them are few and scanty; and he can only obtain them with a great deal of toil and difficulty; but when his casks are once filled he has need to feed them anymore; and has no further trouble with them or care about them。 The other; in like manner; can procure streams; though not without difficulty; but his vessels are leaky and unsound; and night and day he is compelled to be filling them; and if he pauses for a moment; he is in an agony of pain。 Such are their respective lives:…And now would you say that the life of the intemperate is happier than that of the temperate? Do I not convince you that the opposite is the truth? Cal。 You do not convince me; Socrates; for the one who has filled himself has no longer any pleasure left; and this; as I was just now saying; is the life of a stone: he has neither joy nor sorrow after he is once filled; but the pleasure depends on the superabundance of the influx。 Soc。 But the more you pour in; the greater the waste; and the holes must be large for the liquid to escape。 Cal。 Certainly。 Soc。 The life which you are now depicting is not that of a dead man; or of a stone; but of a cormorant; you mean that he is to be hungering and eating? Cal。 Yes。 Soc。 And he is to be thirsting and drinking? Cal。 Yes; that is what I mean; he is to have all his desires about him; and to be able to live happily in the gratification of them。 Soc。 Capital; excellent; go on as you have begun; and have no shame; I; too; must disencumber myself of shame: and first; will you tell me whether you include itching and scratching; provided you have enough of them and pass your life in scratching; in your notion of happiness? Cal。 What a strange being you are; Socrates! a regular mob…orator。 Soc。 That was the reason; Callicles; why I scared Polus and Gorgias; until they were too modest to say what they thought; but you will not be too modest and will not be scared; for you are a brave man。 And now; answer my question。 Cal。 I answer; that even the scratcher would live pleasantly。 Soc。 And if pleasantly; then also happily? Cal。 To be sure。 Soc。 But what if the itching is not confined to the head? Shall I pursue the question? And here; Callicles; I would have you consider how you would reply if consequences are pressed upon you; especially if in the last resort you are asked; whether the life of a catamite is not terrible; foul; miserable? Or would you venture to say; that they too are happy; if they only get enough of what they want? Cal。 Are you not ashamed; Socrates; of introducing such topics into the argument? Soc。 Well; my fine friend; but am I the introducer of these topics; or he who says without any qualification that all who feel pleasure in whatever manner are happy; and who admits of no distinction between good and bad pleasures? And I would still ask; whether you say that pleasure and good are the same; or whether there is some pleasure which is not a good? Cal。 Well; then; for the sake of consistency; I will say that they are the same。 Soc。 You are breaking the original agreement; Callicles; and will no longer be a satisfactory companion in the search after truth; if you say what is contrary to your real opinion。 Cal。 Why; that is what you are doing too; Socrates。 Soc。 Then we are both doing wrong。 Still; my dear friend; I would ask you to consider whether pleasure; from whatever source derived; is the good; for; if this be true; then the disagreeable consequences which have been darkly intimated must follow; and many others。 Cal。 That; Socrates; is only your opinion。 Soc。 And do you; Callicles; seriously maintain what you are saying? Cal。 Indeed I do。 Soc。 Then; as you are in earnest; shall we proceed with the argument? Cal。 By all means。 Soc。 Well; if you are willing to proceed; determine this question for me:…There is something; I presume; which you would call knowledge?
Cal。 There is。 Soc。 And were you not saying just now; that some courage implied knowledge? Cal。 I was。 Soc。 And you were speaking of courage and knowledge as two things different from one another? Cal。 Certainly I was。 Soc。 And would you say that pleasure and knowledge are the same; or not the same? Cal。 Not the same; O man of wisdom。 Soc。 And would you say that courage differed from pleasure? Cal。 Certainly。 Soc。 Well; then; let us remember that Callicles; the Acharnian; says that pleasure and good are the same; but that knowledge and courage are not the same; either with one another; or with the good。 Cal。 And what does our friend Socrates; of Foxton; say …does he assent to this; or not? Soc。 He does not assent; neither will Callicles; when he sees himself truly。 You will admit; I suppose; that good and evil fortune are opposed to each other? Cal。 Yes。 Soc。 And if they are opposed to each other; then; like health and disease; they exclude one another; a man cannot have them both; or be