Reference address : https://ellopos.net/elpenor/greek-texts/ancient-greece/plato/plato-philebus.asp?pg=24

ELPENOR - Home of the Greek Word

Three Millennia of Greek Literature
PLATO HOME PAGE  /  PLATO COMPLETE WORKS  /  SEARCH PLATO WORKS  

Plato : PHILEBUS

Persons of the dialogue: Socrates - Protarchus - Philebus
Translated by Benjamin Jowett - 79 Pages - Greek fonts
Search Plato's works / Plato Anthology / The Greek Word Library

Plato notes @ Elpenor = Note by Elpenor 

ELPENOR EDITIONS IN PRINT

The Original Greek New Testament

Plato in print

79 Pages


Page 24

Soc. Have pleasure and pain a limit, or do they belong to the class which admits of more and less?

Phi. They belong to the class which admits of more, Socrates; for pleasure would not be perfectly good if she were not infinite in quantity and degree.

Soc. Nor would pain, Philebus, be perfectly evil. And therefore the infinite cannot be that element which imparts to pleasure some degree of good. But now - admitting, if you like, that pleasure is of the nature of the infinite - in which of the aforesaid classes, O Protarchus and Philebus, can we without irreverence place wisdom and knowledge and mind? And let us be careful, for I think that the danger will be very serious if we err on this point.

Phi. You magnify, Socrates, the importance of your favourite god.

Soc. And you, my friend, are also magnifying your favourite goddess; but still I must beg you to answer the question.

Pro. Socrates is quite right, Philebus, and we must submit to him.

Phi. And did not you, Protarchus, propose to answer in my place?

Pro. Certainly I did; but I am now in a great strait, and I must entreat you, Socrates, to be our spokesman, and then we shall not say anything wrong or disrespectful of your favourite.

Soc. I must obey you, Protarchus; nor is the task which you impose a difficult one; but did I really, as Philebus implies, disconcert you with my playful solemnity, when I asked the question to what class mind and knowledge belong?

Pro. You did, indeed, Socrates.

Soc. Yet the answer is easy, since all philosophers assert with one voice that mind is the king of heaven and earth - in reality they are magnifying themselves. And perhaps they are right. But still I should like to consider the class of mind, if you do not object, a little more fully.

Phi. Take your own course, Socrates, and never mind length; we shall not tire of you.

Soc. Very good; let us begin then, Protarchus, by asking a question. Pro. What question?

Previous Page / First / Next

  Plato Home Page / Bilingual Anthology   Plato Search ||| Aristotle

Three Millennia of Greek Literature

 

Greek Literature - Ancient, Medieval, Modern

Elpenor's Greek Forum : Post a question / Start a discussion

Learned Freeware

Reference address : https://ellopos.net/elpenor/greek-texts/ancient-greece/plato/plato-philebus.asp?pg=24

Copyright : Elpenor 2006 -