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philebus-第3部分

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have one genus and many species'; and are not at once infinite; and



what number of species is to be assigned to either of them before they



pass into infinity。



  Pro。 That is a very serious question; Philebus; to which Socrates



has ingeniously brought us round; and please to consider which of us



shall answer him; there may be something ridiculous in my being unable



to answer; and therefore imposing the task upon you; when I have



undertaken the whole charge of the argument; but if neither of us were



able to answer; the result methinks would be still more ridiculous。



Let us consider; then; what we are to do:…Socrates; if I understood



him rightly; is asking whether there are not kinds of pleasure; and



what is the number and nature of them; and the same of wisdom。



  Soc。 Most true; O son of Callias; and the previous argument showed



that if we are not able to tell the kinds of everything that has



unity; likeness; sameness; or their opposites; none of us will be of



the smallest use in any enquiry。



  Pro。 That seems to be very near the truth; Socrates。 Happy would the



wise man be if he knew all things; and the next best thing for him



is that he should know himself。 Why do I say so at this moment? I will



tell you。 You; Socrates; have granted us this opportunity of



conversing with you; and are ready to assist us in determining what is



the best of human goods。 For when Philebus said that pleasure and



delight and enjoyment and the like were the chief good; you



answered…No; not those; but another class of goods; and we are



constantly reminding ourselves of what you said; and very properly; in



order that we may not forget to examine and compare the two。 And these



goods; which in your opinion are to be designated as superior to



pleasure; and are the true objects of pursuit; are mind and



knowledge and understanding and art and the like。 There was a



dispute about which were the best; and we playfully threatened that



you should not be allowed to go home until the question was settled;



and you agreed; and placed yourself at our disposal。 And now; as



children say; what has been fairly given cannot be taken back; cease



then to fight against us in this way。



  Soc。 In what way?



  Phi。 Do not perplex us; and keep asking questions of us to which



we have not as yet any sufficient answer to give; let us not imagine



that a general puzzling of us all is to be the end of our



discussion; but if we are unable to answer; do you answer; as you have



promised。 Consider; then; whether you will divide pleasure and



knowledge according to their kinds; or you may let the matter drop; if



you are able and willing to find some other mode of clearing up our



controversy。



  Soc。 If you say that; I have nothing to apprehend; for the words 〃if



you are willing〃 dispel all my fear; and; moreover; a god seems to



have recalled something to my mind。



  Phi。 What is that?



  Soc。 I remember to have heard long ago certain discussions about



pleasure and wisdom; whether awake or in a dream I cannot tell; they



were to the effect that neither the one nor the other of them was



the good; but some third thing; which was different from them; and



better than either。 If this be clearly established; then pleasure will



lose the victory; for the good will cease to be identified with



her:…Am I not right?



  Pro。 Yes。



  Soc。 And there will cease to be any need of distinguishing the kinds



of pleasures; as I am inclined to think; but this will appear more



clearly as we proceed。



  Pro。 Capital; Socrates; pray go on as you propose。



  Soc。 But; let us first agree on some little points。



  Pro。 What are they?



  Soc。 Is the good perfect or imperfect?



  Pro。 The most perfect; Socrates; of all things。



  Soc。 And is the good sufficient?



  Pro。 Yes; certainly; and in a degree surpassing all other things。



  Soc。 And no one can deny that all percipient beings desire and



hunt after good; and are eager to catch and have the good about



them; and care not for the attainment of anything which its not



accompanied by good。



  Pro。 That is undeniable。



  Soc。 Now let us part off the life of pleasure from the life of



wisdom; and pass them in review。



  Pro。 How do you mean?



  Soc。 Let there be no wisdom in the life of pleasure; nor any



pleasure in the life of wisdom; for if either of them is the chief



good; it cannot be supposed to want anything; but if either is shown



to want anything; then it cannot really be the chief good。



  Pro。 Impossible。



  Soc。 And will you help us to test these two lives?



  Pro。 Certainly。



  Soc。 Then answer。



  Pro。 Ask。



  Soc。 Would you choose; Protarchus; to live all your life long in the



enjoyment of the greatest pleasures?



  Pro。 Certainly I should。



  Soc。 Would you consider that there was still anything wanting to you



if you had perfect pleasure?



  Pro。 Certainly not。



  Soc。 Reflect; would you not want wisdom and intelligence and



forethought; and similar qualities? would you not at any rate want



sight?



  Pro。 Why should I? Having pleasure I should have all things。



  Soc。 Living thus; you would always throughout your life enjoy the



greatest pleasures?



  Pro。 I should。



  Soc。 But if you had neither mind; nor memory; nor knowledge; nor



true opinion; you would in the first place be utterly ignorant of



whether you were pleased or not; because you would be entirely



devoid of intelligence。



  Pro。 Certainly。



  Soc。 And similarly; if you had no memory you would not recollect



that you had ever been pleased; nor would the slightest recollection



of the pleasure which you feel at any moment remain with you; and if



you had no true opinion you would not think that you were pleased when



you were; and if you had no power of calculation you would not be able



to calculate on future pleasure; and your life would be the life;



not of a man; but of an oyster or pulmo marinus。 Could this be



otherwise?



  Pro。 No。



  Soc。 But is such a life eligible?



  Pro。 I cannot answer you; Socrates; the argument has taken away from



me the power of speech。



  Soc。 We must keep up our spirits;…let us now take the life of mind



and examine it in turn。



  Pro。 And what is this life of mind?



  Soc。 I want to know whether any one of us would consent to live;



having wisdom and mind and knowledge and memory of all things; but



having no sense of pleasure or pain; and wholly unaffected by these



and the like feelings?



  Pro。 Neither life; Socrates; appears eligible to me; or is likely;



as I should imagine; to be chosen by any one else。



  Soc。 What would you say; Protarchus; to both of these in one; or



to one that was made out of the union of the two?



  Pro。 Out of the union; that is; of pleasure with mind and wisdom?



  Soc。 Yes; that is the life which I mean。



  Pro。 There can be no difference of opinion; not some but all would



surely choose this third rather than either of the other two; and in



addition to them。



  Soc。 But do you see the consequence?



  Pro。 To be sure I do。 The consequence is; that two out of the



three lives which have been proposed are neither sufficient nor



eligible for man or for animal。



  Soc。 Then now there can be no doubt that neither of them has the



good; for the one which had would certainly have been sufficient and



perfect and eligible for every living creature or thing that was



able to live such a life; and if any of us had chosen any other; he



would have chosen contrary to the nature of the truly eligible; and



not of his own free will; but either through ignorance or from some



unhappy necessity。



  Pro。 Certainly that seems to be true。



  Soc。 And now have I not sufficiently shown that Philebus; goddess is



not to be regarded as identical with the good?



  Phi。 Neither is your 〃mind〃 the good; Socrates; for that will be



open to the same objections。



  Soc。 Perhaps; Philebus; you may be right in saying so of my



〃mind〃; but of the true; which is also the divine mind; far otherwise。



However; I will not at present claim the first place for mind as



against the mixed life; but we must come to some understanding about



the second place。 For you might affirm pleasure and I mind to be the



cause of the mixed life; and in that case although neither of them



would be the good; one of them might be imagined to be the cause of



the good。 And I might proceed further to argue in opposition to



Phoebus; that the element which makes this mixed life eligible and



good; is more akin and more similar to mind than to pleasure。 And if



this is true; pleasure cannot be truly said to share either in the



first or second place; and does not; if I may trust my own mind;



attain even to the third。



  Pro。 Truly; Socrates; pleasure appears to me to have had a fall;



in fighting for the palm; she has been smitten by the argument; and is



laid low。 I must say that mind would have fallen too; and may



therefore be thought to show discretion in not putting forward a



similar claim。 And if pleasure were deprived not only of the first but



of the second place; she would be terribly damaged in the eyes of



her admirers; for not even to them would she still appear as fair as



before。



  Soc。 Well; but had we not better leave her now; and not pain her



by applying the crucial test; and finally detecting her?



  Pro。 Nonsense; Socrates。



  Soc。 Why? because I said that we had better not pain pleasure; which



is an impossibility?



  Pro。 Yes; and more than that; because you do not seem to be aware



that none of us will let you go home until you have finished the



argument。



  Soc。 Heavens! Protarchus; that will be a tedious business; and



just at p
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