Volume 7

Plato : with an English translation.

  • Plato.
Date:
1914-1935
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Plato : with an English translation. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    405/490 (page 391)
    THEAET. No^ nothing could be more impossible. STR. Then there is this further thing which we ought to remember. THEAET. What is it ? sTR. That when we were asked to what the appellation of not-being should be applied^ we were in the greatest perplexity. Do you remember ? THEAET. Of course I do. STR. Well, then, are we now in any less perplexity about being? THEAET. It seems to me, stranger, that we are, if possible, in even greater. STR. This point, then, let us put down definitely as one of complete perplexity. But since being and not-being participate equally in the perplexity, there is now at last some hope that as either of them emerges more dimly or more clearly, so also will the other emerge. If, however, Ave are able to see neither of them, we will at any rate push our discussion through between both of them at once as creditably as we can. THEAET. Good. STR. Let us, then, explain how we come to be constantly calling this same thing by many names. THEAET. What, for instance ? Please give an example. STR. We speak of man, you know, and give him many additional designations; we attribute to him colours and forms and sizes and vices and virtues, and in all these cases and countless others we say not only that he is man, but we say he is good and numberless other things. So in the same way every single thing which we supposed to be one, we treat as many and call by many names.