友情提示:如果本网页打开太慢或显示不完整,请尝试鼠标右键“刷新”本网页!阅读过程发现任何错误请告诉我们,谢谢!!
报告错误
gorgias-第22章
按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页,按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页,按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部!
————未阅读完?加入书签已便下次继续阅读!
ay; the end of becoming a great man and not suffering injury? Cal。 Very true。 Soc。 But will he also escape from doing injury? Must not the very opposite be true;…if he is to be like the tyrant in his injustice; and to have influence with him? Will he not rather contrive to do as much wrong as possible; and not be punished? Cal。 True。 Soc。 And by the imitation of his master and by the power which he thus acquires will not his soul become bad and corrupted; and will not this be the greatest evil to him? Cal。 You always contrive somehow or other; Socrates; to invert everything: do you not know that he who imitates the tyrant will; if he has a mind; kill him who does not imitate him and take away his goods? Soc。 Excellent Callicles; I am not deaf; and I have heard that a great many times from you and from Polus and from nearly every man in the city; but I wish that you would hear me too。 I dare say that he will kill him if he has a mind…the bad man will kill the good and true。 Cal。 And is not that just the provoking thing? Soc。 Nay; not to a man of sense; as the argument shows: do you think that all our cares should be directed to prolonging life to the uttermost; and to the study of those arts which secure us from danger always; like that art of rhetoric which saves men in courts of law; and which you advise me to cultivate? Cal。 Yes; truly; and very good advice too。 Soc。 Well; my friend; but what do you think of swimming; is that an art of any great pretensions? Cal。 No; indeed。 Soc。 And yet surely swimming saves a man from death; there are occasions on which he must know how to swim。 And if you despise the swimmers; I will tell you of another and greater art; the art of the pilot; who not only saves the souls of men; but also their bodies and properties from the extremity of danger; just like rhetoric。 Yet his art is modest and unpresuming: it has no airs or pretences of doing anything extraordinary; and; in return for the same salvation which is given by the pleader; demands only two obols; if he brings us from Aegina to Athens; or for the longer voyage from Pontus or Egypt; at the utmost two drachmae; when he has saved; as I was just now saying; the passenger and his wife and children and goods; and safely disembarked them at the Piraeus …this is the payment which he asks in return for so great a boon; and he who is the master of the art; and has done all this; gets out and walks about on the sea…shore by his ship in an unassuming way。 For he is able to reflect and is aware that he cannot tell which of his fellow…passengers he has benefited; and which of them he has injured in not allowing them to be drowned。 He knows that they are just the same when he has disembarked them as when they embarked; and not a whit better either in their bodies or in their souls; and he considers that if a man who is afflicted by great and incurable bodily diseases is only to be pitied for having escaped; and is in no way benefited by him in having been saved from drowning; much less he who has great and incurable diseases; not of the body; but of the soul; which is the more valuable part of him; neither is life worth having nor of any profit to the bad man; whether he be delivered from the sea; or the law…courts; or any other devourer…and so he reflects that such a one had better not live; for he cannot live well。 And this is the reason why the pilot; although he is our saviour; is not usually conceited; any more than the engineer; who is not at all behind either the general; or the pilot; or any one else; in his saving power; for he sometimes saves whole cities。 Is there any comparison between him and the pleader? And if he were to talk; Callicles; in your grandiose style; he would bury you under a mountain of words; declaring and insisting that we ought all of us to be engine…makers; and that no other profession is worth thinking about; he would have plenty to say。 Nevertheless you despise him and his art; and sneeringly call him an engine…maker; and you will not allow your daughters to marry his son; or marry your son to his daughters。 And yet; on your principle; what justice or reason is there in your refusal? What right have you to despise the engine…maker; and the others whom I was just now mentioning? I know that you will say; 〃I am better; better born。〃 But if the better is not what I say; and virtue consists only in a man saving himself and his; whatever may be his character; then your censure of the engine…maker; and of the physician; and of the other arts of salvation; is ridiculous。 O my friend! I want you to see that the noble and the good may possibly be something different from saving and being saved:…May not he who is truly a man cease to care about living a certain time?…he knows; as women say; that no man can escape fate; and therefore he is not fond of life; he leaves all that with God; and considers in what way he can best spend his appointed term…whether by assimilating himself to the constitution under which he lives; as you at this moment have to consider how you may become as like as possible to the Athenian people; if you mean to be in their good graces; and to have power in the state; whereas I want you to think and see whether this is for the interest of either of us…I would not have us risk that which is dearest on the acquisition of this power; like the Thessalian enchantresses; who; as they say; bring down the moon from heaven at the risk of their own perdition。 But if you suppose that any man will show you the art of becoming great in the city; and yet not conforming yourself to the ways of the city; whether for better or worse; then I can only say that you are mistaken; Callides; for he who would deserve to be the true natural friend of the Athenian Demus; aye; or of Pyrilampes' darling who is called after them; must be by nature like them; and not an imitator only。 He; then; who will make you most like them; will make you as you desire; a statesman and orator: for every man is pleased when he is spoken to in his own language and spirit; and dislikes any other。 But perhaps you; sweet Callicles; may be of another mind。 What do you say? Cal。 Somehow or other your words; Socrates; always appear to me to be good words; and yet; like the rest of the world; I am not quite convinced by them。 Soc。 The reason is; Callicles; that the love of Demus which abides in your soul is an adversary to me; but I dare say that if we recur to these same matters; and consider them more thoroughly; you may be convinced for all that。 Please; then; to remember that there are two processes of training all things; including body and soul; in the one; as we said; we treat them with a view to pleasure; and in the other with a view to the highest good; and then we do not indulge but resist them: was not that the distinction which we drew? Cal。 Very true。 Soc。 And the one which had pleasure in view was just a vulgar flattery:…was not that another of our conclusions? Cal。 Be it so; if you will have it。 Soc。 And the other had in view the greatest improvement of that which was ministered to; whether body or soul? Cal。 Quite true。 Soc。 And must we not have the same end in view in the treatment of our city and cit
温馨提示: 温看小说的同时发表评论,说出自己的看法和其它小伙伴们分享也不错哦!发表书评还可以获得积分和经验奖励,认真写原创书评 被采纳为精评可以获得大量金币、积分和经验奖励哦!