FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90  
91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   >>  
ness, excess and defect; with all of these the art of measurement is conversant. YOUNG SOCRATES: Yes. STRANGER: And the art of measurement has to be divided into two parts, with a view to our present purpose. YOUNG SOCRATES: Where would you make the division? STRANGER: As thus: I would make two parts, one having regard to the relativity of greatness and smallness to each other; and there is another, without which the existence of production would be impossible. YOUNG SOCRATES: What do you mean? STRANGER: Do you not think that it is only natural for the greater to be called greater with reference to the less alone, and the less less with reference to the greater alone? YOUNG SOCRATES: Yes. STRANGER: Well, but is there not also something exceeding and exceeded by the principle of the mean, both in speech and action, and is not this a reality, and the chief mark of difference between good and bad men? YOUNG SOCRATES: Plainly. STRANGER: Then we must suppose that the great and small exist and are discerned in both these ways, and not, as we were saying before, only relatively to one another, but there must also be another comparison of them with the mean or ideal standard; would you like to hear the reason why? YOUNG SOCRATES: Certainly. STRANGER: If we assume the greater to exist only in relation to the less, there will never be any comparison of either with the mean. YOUNG SOCRATES: True. STRANGER: And would not this doctrine be the ruin of all the arts and their creations; would not the art of the Statesman and the aforesaid art of weaving disappear? For all these arts are on the watch against excess and defect, not as unrealities, but as real evils, which occasion a difficulty in action; and the excellence or beauty of every work of art is due to this observance of measure. YOUNG SOCRATES: Certainly. STRANGER: But if the science of the Statesman disappears, the search for the royal science will be impossible. YOUNG SOCRATES: Very true. STRANGER: Well, then, as in the case of the Sophist we extorted the inference that not-being had an existence, because here was the point at which the argument eluded our grasp, so in this we must endeavour to show that the greater and less are not only to be measured with one another, but also have to do with the production of the mean; for if this is not admitted, neither a statesman nor any other man of action can be an undisputed master of his
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90  
91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   >>  



Top keywords:
STRANGER
 

SOCRATES

 

greater

 
action
 
defect
 
reference
 

excess

 

Statesman

 

science

 

Certainly


comparison
 
impossible
 

production

 

existence

 

measurement

 

excellence

 

beauty

 

observance

 

purpose

 

disappears


search
 

present

 

difficulty

 
measure
 

weaving

 
disappear
 
aforesaid
 

creations

 

unrealities

 

occasion


admitted

 

measured

 
endeavour
 
statesman
 

master

 
undisputed
 

eluded

 

extorted

 

inference

 

Sophist


argument

 

reality

 
relativity
 

speech

 
smallness
 
greatness
 

Plainly

 

difference

 
principle
 

natural