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alcibiades i-第3章

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about any particular art; but about politicswhen to fight and when to

make peace。  Now; men should fight and make peace on just grounds; and

therefore the question of justice and injustice must enter into peace and

war; and he who advises the Athenians must know the difference between

them。  Does Alcibiades know?  If he does; he must either have been taught

by some master; or he must have discovered the nature of them himself。  If

he has had a master; Socrates would like to be informed who he is; that he

may go and learn of him also。  Alcibiades admits that he has never learned。 

Then has he enquired for himself?  He may have; if he was ever aware of a

time when he was ignorant。  But he never was ignorant; for when he played

with other boys at dice; he charged them with cheating; and this implied a

knowledge of just and unjust。  According to his own explanation; he had

learned of the multitude。  Why; he asks; should he not learn of them the

nature of justice; as he has learned the Greek language of them?  To this

Socrates answers; that they can teach Greek; but they cannot teach justice;

for they are agreed about the one; but they are not agreed about the other: 

and therefore Alcibiades; who has admitted that if he knows he must either

have learned from a master or have discovered for himself the nature of

justice; is convicted out of his own mouth。



Alcibiades rejoins; that the Athenians debate not about what is just; but

about what is expedient; and he asserts that the two principles of justice

and expediency are opposed。  Socrates; by a series of questions; compels

him to admit that the just and the expedient coincide。  Alcibiades is thus

reduced to the humiliating conclusion that he knows nothing of politics;

even if; as he says; they are concerned with the expedient。



However; he is no worse than other Athenian statesmen; and he will not need

training; for others are as ignorant as he is。  He is reminded that he has

to contend; not only with his own countrymen; but with their enemieswith

the Spartan kings and with the great king of Persia; and he can only attain

this higher aim of ambition by the assistance of Socrates。  Not that

Socrates himself professes to have attained the truth; but the questions

which he asks bring others to a knowledge of themselves; and this is the

first step in the practice of virtue。



The dialogue continues:We wish to become as good as possible。  But to be

good in what?  Alcibiades replies'Good in transacting business。'  But

what business?  'The business of the most intelligent men at Athens。'  The

cobbler is intelligent in shoemaking; and is therefore good in that; he is

not intelligent; and therefore not good; in weaving。  Is he good in the

sense which Alcibiades means; who is also bad?  'I mean;' replies

Alcibiades; 'the man who is able to command in the city。'  But to command

whathorses or men? and if men; under what circumstances?  'I mean to say;

that he is able to command men living in social and political relations。' 

And what is their aim?  'The better preservation of the city。'  But when is

a city better?  'When there is unanimity; such as exists between husband

and wife。'  Then; when husbands and wives perform their own special duties;

there can be no unanimity between them; nor can a city be well ordered when

each citizen does his own work only。  Alcibiades; having stated first that

goodness consists in the unanimity of the citizens; and then in each of

them doing his own separate work; is brought to the required point of self…

contradiction; leading him to confess his own ignorance。



But he is not too old to learn; and may still arrive at the truth; if he is

willing to be cross…examined by Socrates。  He must know himself; that is to

say; not his body; or the things of the body; but his mind; or truer self。

The physician knows the body; and the tradesman knows his own business; but

they do not necessarily know themselves。  Self…knowledge can be obtained

only by looking into the mind and virtue of the soul; which is the diviner

part of a man; as we see our own image in another's eye。  And if we do not

know ourselves; we cannot know what belongs to ourselves or belongs to

others; and are unfit to take a part in political affairs。  Both for the

sake of the individual and of the state; we ought to aim at justice and

temperance; not at wealth or power。  The evil and unjust should have no

power;they should be the slaves of better men than themselves。  None but

the virtuous are deserving of freedom。



And are you; Alcibiades; a freeman?  'I feel that I am not; but I hope;

Socrates; that by your aid I may become free; and from this day forward I

will never leave you。'



The Alcibiades has several points of resemblance to the undoubted dialogues

of Plato。  The process of interrogation is of the same kind with that which

Socrates practises upon the youthful Cleinias in the Euthydemus; and he

characteristically attributes to Alcibiades the answers which he has

elicited from him。  The definition of good is narrowed by successive

questions; and virtue is shown to be identical with knowledge。  Here; as

elsewhere; Socrates awakens the consciousness not of sin but of ignorance。

Self…humiliation is the first step to knowledge; even of the commonest

things。  No man knows how ignorant he is; and no man can arrive at virtue

and wisdom who has not once in his life; at least; been convicted of error。 

The process by which the soul is elevated is not unlike that which

religious writers describe under the name of 'conversion;' if we substitute

the sense of ignorance for the consciousness of sin。



In some respects the dialogue differs from any other Platonic composition。

The aim is more directly ethical and hortatory; the process by which the

antagonist is undermined is simpler than in other Platonic writings; and

the conclusion more decided。  There is a good deal of humour in the manner

in which the pride of Alcibiades; and of the Greeks generally; is supposed

to be taken down by the Spartan and Persian queens; and the dialogue has

considerable dialectical merit。  But we have a difficulty in supposing that

the same writer; who has given so profound and complex a notion of the

characters both of Alcibiades and Socrates in the Symposium; should have

treated them in so thin and superficial a manner in the Alcibiades; or that

he would have ascribed to the ironical Socrates the rather unmeaning boast

that Alcibiades could not attain the objects of his ambition without his

help; or that he should have imagined that a mighty nature like his could

have been reformed by a few not very conclusive words of Socrates。  For the

arguments by which Alcibiades is reformed are not convincing; the writer of

the dialogue; whoever he was; arrives at his idealism by crooked and

tortuous paths; in which many pitfalls are concealed。  The anachronism of

making Alcibiades about twenty years old during the life of his uncle;

Pericles; may be noted; and the repetition of the favourite observation;

which occurs also in the Laches and Protagoras; that great Athenian

statesmen; like Pericles; failed in the education of their sons。  There is

none of the undoubted dialogues of Plato in which there is so little

dramatic verisimilitude。





ALCIBIADES I



by



Plato (see Appendix I above)



Translated by Benjamin Jowett





PERSONS OF THE DIALOGUE:  Alcibiades; Socrates。





SOCRATES:  I dare say that you may be surprised to find; O son of Cleinias;

that I; who am your first lover; not having spoken to you for many years;

when the rest of the world were wearying you with their attentions; am the

last of your lovers who still speaks to you。  The cause of my silence has

been that I was hindered by a power more than human; of which I will some

day explain to you the nature; this impediment has now been removed; I

therefore here present myself before you; and I greatly hope that no
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