HIPPIAS (major) by Plato - Complete text

Page 30

Soc.: "Is it not," then, he will say, "for some other reason than because they are pleasures that you chose these pleasures out from the other pleasures — it was because you saw some quality in both, since they have something different from the others, in view of which you say that they are beautiful? For the reason why that which is pleasant through sight is beautiful, is not, I imagine, because it is through sight ; for if that were the cause of its being beautiful, the other pleasure, that through hearing, would not be beautiful ; it certainly is not pleasure through sight." Shall we say "What you say is true"?

Hip.: Yes, we shall.

Soc.: "Nor, again, is the pleasure through hearing beautiful for the reason that it is through hearing; for in that case, again, the pleasure through sight would not be beautiful ; it certainly is not pleasure through hearing." Shall we say, Hippias, that the man who says that speaks the truth?

Hip.: Yes, he speaks the truth.

Soc.: "But yet both are beautiful, as you say." We do say that, do we not?

Hip.: We do.

Soc.: "They have, then, something identical which makes them to be beautiful, this common quality which pertains to both of them in common and to each individually ; for otherwise they would not both collectively and each individually be beautiful." Answer me, as if you were answering him.

Hip.: I answer, and I think it is as you say.

Soc.: If, then, these pleasures are both affected in any way collectively, but each individually is not so affected, it is not by this affection that they would be beautiful.

Hip.: And how could that be, Socrates, when neither of them individually is affected by some affection or other, that then both are affected by that affection by which neither is affected?

Soc.: You think it cannot be?

Hip.: I should have to be very inexperienced both in the nature of these things and in the language of our present discussion.

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Plato : HIPPIAS (major)

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