Dialogue

  1 Craty|          the like. Even the truest things which he says are depreciated
  2 Craty|          put words in the place of things or realities, which is a
  3 Craty|            and nothing. For in all things there is an element of convention;
  4 Craty|          or imitations in sound of things. In a sense, Cratylus is
  5 Craty|            is right in saying that things have by nature names; for
  6 Craty|          of agreement in words and things. Hence we are led to infer,
  7 Craty|         into the nature of men and things, and yet hardly dwelling
  8 Craty|     imperfect, that a knowledge of things is higher than a knowledge
  9 Craty|         can be no knowledge if all things are in a state of transition.
 10 Craty|         Socrates asks, whether the things differ as the words which
 11 Craty|          with Euthydemus, that all things equally and always belong
 12 Craty|           possibility is, that all things have their several distinct
 13 Craty|           about them. And not only things, but actions, have distinct
 14 Craty|       distinguishes the natures of things. The weaver will use the
 15 Craty|         express the ideal forms of things in syllables and letters
 16 Craty|           Gods and men to the same things, as in the verse about the
 17 Craty|       means the first principle of things: this agrees with the fact
 18 Craty|         the first principle of all things. And here I seem to discover
 19 Craty|             that the God knew many things (polla eidos): he may also
 20 Craty|         knowing (eidenai) all good things. Men in general are foolishly
 21 Craty|        pheromenou ephaptomene,—all things are in motion, and she in
 22 Craty|         search after the nature of things, become dizzy; and this
 23 Craty|   universal flux, or generation of things, is indicated in names. ‘
 24 Craty|            the motion or stream of things, and may be illustrated
 25 Craty|           en te tachuteti,—for all things are in motion, and some
 26 Craty|          motion say, preserves all things, and is the cause of all
 27 Craty|            and is the cause of all things, quasi diaion going through—
 28 Craty|             because the teat makes things flourish (tethelenai), and
 29 Craty|         what has preceded; for all things being in a flux, kakia is
 30 Craty|        that which mingles with all things: lusiteloun is equivalent
 31 Craty|        supposed, ‘that which makes things gentle’ (emera). So again,
 32 Craty|     intended to show the nature of things; and the secondary, as I
 33 Craty|       which penetrates through all things. The letters phi, psi, sigma,
 34 Craty|             you have spoken in all things much to my mind,” whether
 35 Craty|       names teach us the nature of things? ‘Yes.’ And naming is an
 36 Craty|           he who knows names knows things.’ Do you mean that the discovery
 37 Craty|           same as the discovery of things? ‘Yes.’ But do you not see
 38 Craty|          suppose that he knows the things which he names: but how
 39 Craty|         but how can he have learnt things from names before there
 40 Craty|         more than human first gave things their names, and that these
 41 Craty|         words, but by appealing to things. And, if so, we must allow
 42 Craty|          if so, we must allow that things may be known without names;
 43 Craty|        admitted, are the images of things; and the higher knowledge
 44 Craty|         the higher knowledge is of things, and is not to be derived
 45 Craty|            under the idea that all things are in a state of motion
 46 Craty|            continue to study these things yourself.’~...~We may now
 47 Craty|       words when he might learn of things? There is a great controversy
 48 Craty|          to distinguish words from things. Socrates replies in effect
 49 Craty|           required. There are more things in language than the human
 50 Craty|           be the first essences of things, he would deem the reflection
 51 Craty|      uttering them. There are many things in the use of language which
 52 Craty|      putting words in the place of things. It seems to be true, that
 53 Craty|          of language: (1) in which things were characterized independently, (
 54 Craty|       custom as the expressions of things or events. It was the principle
 55 Craty|           of reason lighted up all things and at once began to arrange
 56 Craty|           law of proportion. As in things of beauty, as in all nature,
 57 Craty|            as in the motion of all things, there is a similarity of
 58 Craty|    similarities and differences of things, and their relations to
 59 Craty|            down into the nature of things. Gradually in language they
 60 Craty|            any crude imitations of things or actions in sound, although
 61 Craty|            classes or processes of things. We are told that changes
 62 Craty|        ideas vary or the number of things which is included under
 63 Craty|           to do duty for many more things than were formerly expressed
 64 Craty|         senses when the classes of things or ideas which are represented
 65 Craty|       different names for the same things; Hellenes differ from barbarians
 66 Craty|          say, Hermogenes, that the things differ as the names differ?
 67 Craty|          man is the measure of all things, and that things are to
 68 Craty|            of all things, and that things are to me as they appear
 69 Craty|         him, or would you say that things have a permanent essence
 70 Craty|       right, and the truth is that things are as they appear to any
 71 Craty|          with Euthydemus, that all things equally belong to all men
 72 Craty|           if neither is right, and things are not relative to individuals,
 73 Craty|            to individuals, and all things do not equally belong to
 74 Craty|           saying apply only to the things themselves, or equally to
 75 Craty|            are real as well as the things.~SOCRATES: Then the actions
 76 Craty|            way of speaking, and as things ought to be spoken, and
 77 Craty|           another, and distinguish things according to their natures?~
 78 Craty|            is right in saying that things have names by nature, and
 79 Craty|          express the true forms of things in letters and syllables.~
 80 Craty|           and men give to the same things. Does he not in these passages
 81 Craty|        clearly be supposed to call things by their right and natural
 82 Craty|            said of trees and other things. Do you agree with me?~HERMOGENES:
 83 Craty|        containing principle of all things?~HERMOGENES: Yes; I do.~
 84 Craty|            Now that the essence of things should be called estia,
 85 Craty|           estia was the essence of things. Those again who read osia
 86 Craty|           of Heracleitus, that all things flow and nothing stands;
 87 Craty|            and ruling power of all things, and is therefore rightly
 88 Craty|           supposed to say that all things are in motion and nothing
 89 Craty|     meaning that the God knew many things (Polla eidos). And perhaps
 90 Craty|   knowledge (eidenai) of all noble things.~HERMOGENES: Very good;
 91 Craty|        sophe); for seeing that all things in the world are in motion (
 92 Craty|        over harmony, and makes all things move together, both among
 93 Craty|         mean ‘she who knows divine things’ (Theia noousa) better than
 94 Craty|          that speech signifies all things (pan), and is always turning
 95 Craty|         who is the declarer of all things (pan) and the perpetual
 96 Craty|           mover (aei polon) of all things, is rightly called aipolos (
 97 Craty|       element which raises (airei) things from the earth, or as ever
 98 Craty|         search after the nature of things, are always getting dizzy
 99 Craty|           or flux or generation of things is most surely indicated.~
100 Craty|     follows (epetai) the motion of things, neither anticipating them
101 Craty|         company with the nature of things. Sophia (wisdom) is very
102 Craty|            the motion or stream of things. You must remember that
103 Craty|       expressed by sophia, for all things are supposed to be in motion.
104 Craty|          nature; for, although all things move, still there are degrees
105 Craty|         slower; but there are some things which are admirable for
106 Craty|          For those who suppose all things to be in motion conceive
107 Craty|         swiftest, passing by other things as if they were standing
108 Craty|             which superintends all things and pierces (diaion) all,
109 Craty|            nothing, and orders all things, and passes through all
110 Craty|             and passes through all things. At last, my friend, I find
111 Craty|            is like rain, and makes things flourish (tethelenai).~HERMOGENES:
112 Craty|            which preceded, for all things being in a flux (ionton),
113 Craty|        that which called (kalesan) things by their names, and is not
114 Craty|        accompanying the world, and things which are done upon this
115 Craty|    existence, allows of no stay in things and no pause or end of motion,
116 Craty|         begins to be any end, lets things go again (luei), and makes
117 Craty|      called emera because it makes things gentle (emera different
118 Craty|          expresses a longing after things and violent attraction of
119 Craty|          name pothos is applied to things absent, as imeros is to
120 Craty|            absent, as imeros is to things present; eros (love) is
121 Craty|          to indicate the nature of things.~HERMOGENES: Of course.~
122 Craty|       analysis show the natures of things, as far as they can be shown;
123 Craty|    perfected the classification of things, we shall give them names,
124 Craty|    elements which pass through all things. This is why he uses the
125 Craty|           legislator, reducing all things into letters and syllables,
126 Craty|       appear to have spoken in all things much to my mind.’~And you,
127 Craty|    pictures are also imitations of things, but in another way?~CRATYLUS:
128 Craty| attributable and applicable to the things of which they are the imitation.~
129 Craty|     letters imitates the nature of things, if he gives all that is
130 Craty|          be the effect of names on things, if they were exactly the
131 Craty|           those which are like the things?~CRATYLUS: Yes.~SOCRATES:
132 Craty|       nouns are representations of things, is there any better way
133 Craty|          previous knowledge of the things intended by them, and that
134 Craty|         composed must also be like things. Returning to the image
135 Craty|         nature which resembled the things imitated, and out of which
136 Craty|           far as possible resemble things; but I fear that this dragging
137 Craty|         knows names knows also the things which are expressed by them.~
138 Craty|         knows names will also know things.~CRATYLUS: That is precisely
139 Craty|          of this information about things which, according to you,
140 Craty|           names discovers also the things; or is this only the method
141 Craty|          names in the search after things, and analyses their meaning,
142 Craty|           to his conception of the things which they signified—did
143 Craty|        Were we not saying that all things are in motion and progress
144 Craty|       signify stopping the soul at things than going round with them;
145 Craty|          names indicates, not that things are in motion or progress,
146 Craty|        names, know or not know the things which they named?~CRATYLUS:
147 Craty|          names must have known the things which he named; are you
148 Craty|            also a knowledge of the things which he named?~CRATYLUS:
149 Craty|         have learned or discovered things from names if the primitive
150 Craty|           learning and discovering things, is either to discover names
151 Craty|         Socrates.~SOCRATES: But if things are only to be known through
152 Craty|         power more than human gave things their first names, and that
153 Craty|           which shows the truth of things.~CRATYLUS: I agree.~SOCRATES:
154 Craty|      Cratylus, then I suppose that things may be known without names?~
155 Craty|       likenesses and images of the things which they name?~CRATYLUS:
156 Craty|           you please you can learn things through the medium of names,
157 Craty|            can learn them from the things themselves—which is likely
158 Craty|        much, that the knowledge of things is not to be derived from
159 Craty|            under the idea that all things were in motion and flux;
160 Craty|            that sort, for all such things appear to be in a flux;
161 Craty|          same state? for obviously things which are the same cannot
162 Craty|          is this eternal nature in things, or whether the truth is
163 Craty|          will not believe that all things leak like a pot, or imagine
164 Craty|      continue to think about these things yourself.~