Dialogue

  1 Intro|            traces of a similar temper may also be observed in the
  2 Intro|              philosophers, of whom we may say, without offence, that
  3 Intro|       apprehending that a proposition may be false as well as true.
  4 Intro|            But a teacher or statesman may be justly condemned, who
  5 Intro|          Examples of the latter class may also be found in a similar
  6 Intro|     contracted and enlarged. Passages may be quoted from Herodotus
  7 Intro|          purposes of comedy, Socrates may have been identified with
  8 Intro|               in supposing that Plato may have extended and envenomed
  9 Intro|               the meaning, or that he may have done the Sophists the
 10 Intro|              in these respects Athens may have degenerated; but, as
 11 Intro|           them. It is remarkable, and may be fairly set down to their
 12 Intro|                of which another trace may be thought to be discerned
 13 Intro|          division under which his art may be also supposed to fall,
 14 Intro|        company of abstractions, if we may speak in the metaphorical
 15 Intro|               a single structure, and may be compared to rocks which
 16 Intro|            the difficulty about Being may be equally the answer to
 17 Intro|                 and the like.~A doubt may be raised whether this account
 18 Intro|               the meaning of ‘other,’ may also imply ‘opposition.’
 19 Intro|              difference or opposition may be either total or partial:
 20 Intro|            partial: the not-beautiful may be other than the beautiful,
 21 Intro|           beautiful. And the negative may be a negation of fact or
 22 Intro|          negative classes to which he may be referred. This is certainly
 23 Intro|          ghost of ‘Not-being’; and we may attribute to him in a measure
 24 Intro|                And for this reason we may be inclined to do less than
 25 Intro|               approached himself, and may be criticizing an earlier
 26 Intro|              of his own doctrines. We may observe (1) that he professes
 27 Intro|         virtues are one and not many, may be supposed to contain a
 28 Intro|             has come to earth that he may visit the good and evil
 29 Intro|              the name Sophist, but we may not be equally agreed about
 30 Intro|              more obvious animal, who may be made the subject of logical
 31 Intro|      acquisitive art, and acquisition may be effected either by exchange
 32 Intro|          objects; and animate objects may be either land animals or
 33 Intro|               help of this example we may proceed to bring to light
 34 Intro|              youth abide. On land you may hunt tame animals, or you
 35 Intro|             hunt tame animals, or you may hunt wild animals. And man
 36 Intro|              is a tame animal, and he may be hunted either by force
 37 Intro|              many-sided creature, and may still be traced in another
 38 Intro|             exports; and the exporter may export either food for the
 39 Intro|           food for the mind, one kind may be termed the art of display,
 40 Intro|        selling learning; and learning may be a learning of the arts
 41 Intro|                The seller of the arts may be called an art-seller;
 42 Intro|              line, in which a Sophist may be traced. For is he less
 43 Intro|           manufactures himself?~Or he may be descended from the acquisitive
 44 Intro|              of animate bodies (which may be internal or external),
 45 Intro|              purification? Sophists I may not call them. Yet they
 46 Intro|         resemblance of the two, which may probably be disallowed hereafter.
 47 Intro|               understood? And that we may not be involved in the misunderstanding,
 48 Intro|               appearances. The latter may be illustrated by sculpture
 49 Intro|               be left in his hole. We may call him an image-maker
 50 Intro|               nothing but one? Or you may identify them; but then
 51 Intro|            consideration of being.~We may proceed now to the less
 52 Intro|              sake of the argument, we may assume them to be better
 53 Intro|           answering this question, we may as well reply for them,
 54 Intro|               suffer, though becoming may. And we rejoin: Does not
 55 Intro|               about not-being. And we may hope that any light which
 56 Intro|          which is thrown upon the one may extend to the other.~Leaving
 57 Intro|             others not, and that some may have communion with all,
 58 Intro|         admixture; and in this way we may perhaps find out a sense
 59 Intro|              sense in which not-being may be affirmed to have being.
 60 Intro|               existence of not-being, may still affirm that not-being
 61 Intro|           such thing as not-being, he may continue to argue that there
 62 Intro|               acquisitive. And now we may divide both on a different
 63 Intro|              forget that image-making may be an imitation of realities
 64 Intro|       phantastic. And this phantastic may be again divided into imitation
 65 Intro|        impersonations. And the latter may be either dissembling or
 66 Intro|       imitator, who has only opinion, may be either the simple imitator,
 67 Intro|               ignorance. And the last may be either a maker of long
 68 Intro|             is the Sophist, whose art may be traced as being the /
 69 Intro|         element, and that oppositions may be only differences. And
 70 Intro|               as at rest (Soph.); and may be described as a dialectical
 71 Intro|              must begin somewhere and may begin anywhere,—with outward
 72 Intro|              affirmed, only that they may be done away with. But Plato,
 73 Intro|             which I do not understand may be as noble; but the strength
 74 Intro|              the perusal of Hegel. We may truly apply to him the words
 75 Intro|               the Hegelian philosophy may help to dispel some errors
 76 Intro|            which seems to divide them may also be regarded as a difference
 77 Intro|           real to the ideal, and both may be conceived together under
 78 Intro|                The Hegelian dialectic may be also described as a movement
 79 Intro|              all its stages, the mind may come back again and review
 80 Intro|           life of the student. For it may encumber him without enlightening
 81 Intro|         enlightening his path; and it may weaken his natural faculties
 82 Intro|         difficulties, he seeks—and we may follow his example—to make
 83 Intro|   divisibility and continuousness. We may ponder over the thought
 84 Intro|           many one—a sum of units. We may be reminded that in nature
 85 Intro|     Arithmetic and Algebra. Again, we may liken the successive layers
 86 Intro|              circle. Or our attention may be drawn to ideas which
 87 Intro|         freedom, of idea and fact. We may be told to observe that
 88 Intro|            that differences of degree may be heightened into differences
 89 Intro|               differences of kind. We may remember the common remark
 90 Intro|               sides of a question. We may be recommended to look within
 91 Intro|              in our own minds; and we may be told to imagine the minds
 92 Intro|     acknowledges that the same number may be more or less in relation
 93 Intro|               in particular instances may vary, the IDEA of good is
 94 Intro|              comparison with Plato we may now consider the value of
 95 Intro|         contraries or contradictories may in certain cases be both
 96 Intro|              that two contradictories may be true, many questions
 97 Intro|              given circumstances they may be safely combined. In religion
 98 Intro|            time in a single line, and may be many things by turns
 99 Intro|               The danger is that they may be too much for us, and
100 Intro|    unmetaphysical part of mankind, we may speak of it as due to the
101 Intro|          which, in Platonic language, may be termed a ‘most gracious
102 Intro|         notion of mind or thought, we may descend by a series of negations
103 Intro| generalizations of sense. Or again we may begin with the simplest
104 Intro|      comprehension. Of all words they may be truly said to be the
105 Intro|            useful, but no further:—we may easily have too many of
106 Intro|               ways in which our ideas may be connected. The triplets
107 Intro|               can be conceived. There may be an evolution by degrees
108 Intro|              the opposites themselves may vary from the least degree
109 Intro|            immanent in the world, and may be only the invention of
110 Intro|            wait to see what new forms may be developed out of our
111 Intro|             were divine realities. We may almost say that whatever
112 Intro|          light of other abstractions? May they not also find a nearer
113 Intro|              example, new discoveries may not one day supersede our
114 Intro|              is conditional upon what may be known in future ages
115 Intro|           under his hand.~Hegelianism may be said to be a transcendental
116 Intro|            the condition of the world may be indefinitely improved
117 Intro|               poet or philosopher. We may need such a philosophy or
118 Intro|      philosophies are simpler, and we may observe a progress in them;
119 Intro|            Being. Again, the Eleatics may be regarded as developing
120 Intro|               or ‘categories’ as they may be termed, have been handed
121 Intro|          relations with the other. We may fairly doubt whether the
122 Intro|        idiomatic German words. But it may be doubted whether the attempt
123 Intro|            that the meaning of a word may have nothing to do with
124 Intro|              denied, such an analysis may be justified from the point
125 Intro|           expressed. Such an analysis may be of value as a corrective
126 Intro|     necessarily be general, and there may be a use with a view to
127 Intro|     expression of his time, and there may be peculiar difficulties
128 Intro|          which he cannot overcome. He may be out of harmony with his
129 Intro|           during which the human race may yet endure, do we suppose
130 Intro|           proportions human knowledge may attain even within the short
131 Intro|              how this universal frame may be animated by a divine
132 Intro|            kingdom of ideas. Whatever may be thought of his own system
133 Intro|               hitherto unemployed. We may not be able to agree with
134 Intro|         divine idea or nature. But we may acknowledge that the great
135 Intro|              philosophy, but still we may regard it as a very important
136 Intro|             the history of philosophy may be almost said to have been
137 Intro|            another school of thinkers may be traced to his speculations.
138  Soph|               and evil among men. And may not your companion be one
139  Soph|             Capital, my friend! and I may add that they are almost
140  Soph|              same time, I fear that I may seem rude and ungracious
141  Soph|             tire of the argument, you may complain of your friends
142  Soph|            art of imitation—all these may be appropriately called
143  Soph|            appears to be an art which may be called acquisitive.~THEAETETUS:
144  Soph|         STRANGER: And the acquisitive may be subdivided into two parts:
145  Soph|             by force of word or deed, may be termed conquest?~THEAETETUS:
146  Soph|              been said.~STRANGER: And may not conquest be again subdivided?~
147  Soph|             How?~STRANGER: Open force may be called fighting, and
148  Soph|            fighting, and secret force may have the general name of
149  Soph|              and other small matters, may be omitted; the hunting
150  Soph|           hunting after living things may be called animal hunting.~
151  Soph|          STRANGER: And animal hunting may be truly said to have two
152  Soph|              And this sort of hunting may be further divided also
153  Soph|           anything to prevent egress, may be rightly called an enclosure.~
154  Soph|          nooses, creels, and the like may all be termed ‘enclosures’?~
155  Soph|            this first kind of capture may be called by us capture
156  Soph|             summed up under one name, may be called striking, unless
157  Soph|          animals. But if you like you may say that there are no tame
158  Soph|             is not among them; or you may say that man is a tame animal
159  Soph|               the art of conversation may be called in one word the
160  Soph|              And of persuasion, there may be said to be two kinds?~
161  Soph|         reward in the shape of money, may be fairly called by another
162  Soph|              now, Theaetetus, his art may be traced as a branch of
163  Soph|             instruction or amusement;—may not he who takes them about
164  Soph|             THEAETETUS: To be sure he may.~STRANGER: And would you
165  Soph|              merchandise of the soul, may not one part be fairly termed
166  Soph|         friend the Sophist, whose art may now be traced from the art
167  Soph|             true.~STRANGER: And there may be a third reappearance
168  Soph|           reappearance of him;—for he may have settled down in a city,
169  Soph|           settled down in a city, and may fabricate as well as buy
170  Soph|          those of others, as the case may be, and in either way sells
171  Soph|               once more whether there may not be yet another aspect
172  Soph|            contest of bodily strength may be properly called by some
173  Soph|               war is one of words, it may be termed controversy?~THEAETETUS:
174  Soph|             STRANGER: And controversy may be of two kinds.~THEAETETUS:
175  Soph|              majority of his hearers, may be fairly termed loquacity:
176  Soph|     expression.~STRANGER: And any one may see that purification is
177  Soph|         purifications of bodies which may with propriety be comprehended
178  Soph|              about fine words, if she may be only allowed to have
179  Soph|            away of evil from the soul may be properly called purification?~
180  Soph|               they?~STRANGER: The one may be compared to disease in
181  Soph|           various kinds of ignorance, may not instruction be rightly
182  Soph|          which is quite separate, and may be weighed in the scale
183  Soph|        advising them; which varieties may be correctly included under
184  Soph|              while we are resting, we may reckon up in how many forms
185  Soph|        popular form, and he who likes may learn.~THEAETETUS: I suppose
186  Soph|               perhaps your young eyes may see things which to our
187  Soph|              Certainly.~STRANGER: And may there not be supposed to
188  Soph|                although, at my age, I may be one of those who see
189  Soph|             disposed to think that he may have a true knowledge of
190  Soph|             being other is also like, may we not fairly call a likeness
191  Soph|        THEAETETUS: Yes.~STRANGER: And may we not, as I did just now,
192  Soph|              they profess to be like? May we not call these ‘appearances,’
193  Soph|              Of course.~STRANGER: And may we not fairly call the sort
194  Soph|             hasty answer?~THEAETETUS: May I ask to what you are referring?~
195  Soph|           STRANGER: To that which is, may be attributed some other
196  Soph|    Nevertheless, we maintain that you may not and ought not to attribute
197  Soph|              as self-evident, lest we may have fallen into some confusion,
198  Soph|             so serious. Yet one thing may be said of them without
199  Soph|     perplexity about ‘being,’ and yet may fancy that when anybody
200  Soph|               about not-being. But we may be; equally ignorant of
201  Soph|                STRANGER: And the same may be said of all the terms
202  Soph|         consideration of most of them may be deferred; but we had
203  Soph|              Yet that which has parts may have the attribute of unity
204  Soph|            way being all and a whole, may be one?~THEAETETUS: Certainly.~
205  Soph|       STRANGER: But surely that which may be present or may be absent
206  Soph|               which may be present or may be absent will be admitted
207  Soph|              they ‘are.’ Perhaps they may be in a difficulty; and
208  Soph|               a possibility that they may accept a notion of ours
209  Soph|          perhaps we, as well as they, may one day change our minds;
210  Soph|            but, for the present, this may be regarded as the understanding
211  Soph|        Perhaps your ears, Theaetetus, may fail to catch their answer,
212  Soph|         having made these admissions, may we not be justly asked the
213  Soph|            able to see neither, there may still be a chance of steering
214  Soph|           communion of some with some may be illustrated by the case
215  Soph|       STRANGER: Well, the philosopher may hereafter be more fully
216  Soph|               being and not-being, we may at least not fall short
217  Soph|           enquiry, if peradventure we may be allowed to assert the
218  Soph|           Scarcely.~STRANGER: Then we may suppose the same to be a
219  Soph|       STRANGER: Let us proceed, then. May we not say that motion is
220  Soph|           just now.~STRANGER: Then we may without fear contend that
221  Soph|              them, in like manner, we may truly say that they are
222  Soph|           existent.~THEAETETUS: So we may assume.~STRANGER: Every
223  Soph|            STRANGER: And being itself may be said to be other than
224  Soph|          Certainly.~STRANGER: Then we may infer that being is not,
225  Soph|      communion of ideas], and then he may proceed to argue with what
226  Soph|           STRANGER: And the not-great may be said to exist, equally
227  Soph|              True.~STRANGER: The same may be said of other things;
228  Soph|              to one another, is, if I may venture to say so, as truly
229  Soph|         existence as any other class? May I not say with confidence
230  Soph|            have long said good-bye—it may or may not be, and may or
231  Soph|               said good-bye—it may or may not be, and may or may not
232  Soph|             it may or may not be, and may or may not be capable of
233  Soph|             or may not be, and may or may not be capable of definition.
234  Soph|             that when we find them we may find also that they have
235  Soph|            out the connexion of them, may thus prove that falsehood
236  Soph|             opinion, in order that we may have clearer grounds for
237  Soph|         direction in which the answer may be expected.~THEAETETUS:
238  Soph|            issue is whether all names may be connected with one another,
239  Soph|              meaning when in sequence may be connected, but that words
240  Soph|              and false opinion, there may be imitations of real existences,
241  Soph|              mind an art of deception may arise.~THEAETETUS: Quite
242  Soph|       difference or peculiar. Then we may exhibit him in his true
243  Soph|              Very good.~STRANGER: You may remember that all art was
244  Soph|         STRANGER: Every power, as you may remember our saying originally,
245  Soph|            that, owing to my youth, I may often waver in my view,
246  Soph|               the two remaining parts may be called the making of