Dialogue

 1  Prot| whether this art is capable of being taught, and yet I know not
 2  Prot|    which they think capable of being taught and learned. And
 3  Prot|       was the guardian; and he being in fact under the apprehension
 4  Prot|       did Epimetheus, who, not being very wise, forgot that he
 5  Prot|        or to prevent them from being what they are; they do but
 6  Prot|      that virtue is capable of being taught. This is the notion
 7  Prot|        virtue to be capable of being taught and acquired.~There
 8  Prot|        think virtue capable of being taught and cultivated both
 9  Prot|     able to understand what is being said to him: he cannot say
10  Prot|       from one another only in being larger or smaller?~I should
11  Prot|       your opinion, Prodicus, ‘being’ is the same as ‘becoming.’~
12  Prot|   Prodicus would maintain that being, Protagoras, is not the
13  Prot|      and that no one speaks of being ‘awfully’ healthy or wealthy,
14  Prot| blessing; ‘but man cannot help being bad when the force of circumstances
15  Prot|    virtue, then he cannot help being bad. And you, Pittacus,
16  Prot|      will allow that any human being errs voluntarily, or voluntarily
17  Prot|       function, no one of them being like any other of them?
18  Prot|        the most confident, and being the most confident are also
19  Prot|     affection which they call ‘being overcome by pleasure,’ and
20  Prot|      soul is not to be called ‘being overcome by pleasure,’ pray,
21  Prot|     way of speaking, is termed being overcome by pleasure? I
22  Prot|        when you speak of goods being painful, do you not mean
23  Prot|    deny. And when you speak of being overcome—‘what do you mean,’
24  Prot|         what is the meaning of being overcome by pleasure if
25  Prot|   therefore, is the meaning of being overcome by pleasure; —ignorance,
26  Prot|     having a false opinion and being deceived about important
27  Prot|      that virtue is capable of being taught. Protagoras, on the
28  Prot|     must be quite incapable of being taught.’ Now I, Protagoras,
29  Prot|  virtue is, whether capable of being taught or not, lest haply