Certainly not, answered Simmias. And what do you say of the pleasures of love-should he care about them?

By no means. And will he think much of the other ways of indulging the body-for example, the acquisition of costly raiment, or sandals, or other adornments of the body? Instead of caring about them, does he not rather despise anything more than nature needs? What do you say?

I should say the true philosopher would despise them. Would you not say that he is entirely concerned with the soul and not with the body? He would like, as far as he can, to be quit of the body and turn to the soul.

῞Ηκιστα͵ ὦ Σώκρατες͵ ἔφη ὁ Σιμμίας. Τί δὲ τὰς τῶν ἀφροδισίων;

Οὐδαμῶς. Τί δὲ τὰς ἄλλας τὰς περὶ τὸ σῶμα θεραπείας; δοκεῖ σοι ἐντίμους ἡγεῖσθαι ὁ τοιοῦτος; οἷον ἱματίων διαφερόντων κτήσεις καὶ ὑποδημάτων καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους καλλωπισμοὺς τοὺς περὶ τὸ σῶμα πότερον τιμᾶν δοκεῖ σοι ἢ ἀτιμάζειν͵ καθ΄ ὅσον μὴ πολλὴ ἀνάγκη μετέχειν αὐτῶν;

Ἀτιμάζειν ἔμοιγε δοκεῖ͵ ἔφη͵ ὅ γε ὡς ἀληθῶς φιλόσοφος. Οὐκοῦν ὅλως δοκεῖ σοι͵ ἔφη͵ ἡ τοῦ τοιούτου πραγματεία οὐ περὶ τὸ σῶμα εἶναι͵ ἀλλὰ καθ΄ ὅσον δύναται ἀφεστάναι αὐτοῦ͵ πρὸς δὲ τὴν ψυχὴν τετράφθαι;