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eryxias-第4章

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have been discovered for the cure of disease?  Perhaps in this way we may

throw some light on the question。  It appears to be clear that whatever

constitutes wealth must be useful; and that wealth is one class of useful

things; and now we have to enquire; What is the use of those useful things

which constitute wealth?  For all things probably may be said to be useful

which we use in production; just as all things which have life are animals;

but there is a special kind of animal which we call 'man。'  Now if any one

were to ask us; What is that of which; if we were rid; we should not want

medicine and the instruments of medicine; we might reply that this would be

the case if disease were absent from our bodies and either never came to

them at all or went away again as soon as it appeared; and we may therefore

conclude that medicine is the science which is useful for getting rid of

disease。  But if we are further asked; What is that from which; if we were

free; we should have no need of wealth? can we give an answer?  If we have

none; suppose that we restate the question thus:If a man could live

without food or drink; and yet suffer neither hunger nor thirst; would he

want either money or anything else in order to supply his needs?



ERYXIAS:  He would not。



SOCRATES:  And does not this apply in other cases?  If we did not want for

the service of the body the things of which we now stand in need; and heat

and cold and the other bodily sensations were unperceived by us; there

would be no use in this so…called wealth; if no one; that is; had any

necessity for those things which now make us wish for wealth in order that

we may satisfy the desires and needs of the body in respect of our various

wants。  And therefore if the possession of wealth is useful in ministering

to our bodily wants; and bodily wants were unknown to us; we should not

need wealth; and possibly there would be no such thing as wealth。



ERYXIAS:  Clearly not。



SOCRATES:  Then our conclusion is; as would appear; that wealth is what is

useful to this end?



Eryxias once more gave his assent; but the small argument considerably

troubled him。



SOCRATES:  And what is your opinion about another question:Would you say

that the same thing can be at one time useful and at another useless for

the production of the same result?



ERYXIAS:  I cannot say more than that if we require the same thing to

produce the same result; then it seems to me to be useful; if not; not。



SOCRATES:  Then if without the aid of fire we could make a brazen statue;

we should not want fire for that purpose; and if we did not want it; it

would be useless to us?  And the argument applies equally in other cases。



ERYXIAS:  Clearly。



SOCRATES:  And therefore conditions which are not required for the

existence of a thing are not useful for the production of it?



ERYXIAS:  Of course not。



SOCRATES:  And if without gold or silver or anything else which we do not

use directly for the body in the way that we do food and drink and bedding

and houses;if without these we could satisfy the wants of the body; they

would be of no use to us for that purpose?



ERYXIAS:  They would not。



SOCRATES:  They would no longer be regarded as wealth; because they are

useless; whereas that would be wealth which enabled us to obtain what was

useful to us?



ERYXIAS:  O Socrates; you will never be able to persuade me that gold and

silver and similar things are not wealth。  But I am very strongly of

opinion that things which are useless to us are not wealth; and that the

money which is useful for this purpose is of the greatest use; not that

these things are not useful towards life; if by them we can procure wealth。



SOCRATES:  And how would you answer another question?  There are persons;

are there not; who teach music and grammar and other arts for pay; and thus

procure those things of which they stand in need?



ERYXIAS:  There are。



SOCRATES:  And these men by the arts which they profess; and in exchange

for them; obtain the necessities of life just as we do by means of gold and

silver?



ERYXIAS:  True。



SOCRATES:  Then if they procure by this means what they want for the

purposes of life; that art will be useful towards life?  For do we not say

that silver is useful because it enables us to supply our bodily needs?



ERYXIAS:  We do。



SOCRATES:  Then if these arts are reckoned among things useful; the arts

are wealth for the same reason as gold and silver are; for; clearly; the

possession of them gives wealth。  Yet a little while ago we found it

difficult to accept the argument which proved that the wisest are the

wealthiest。  But now there seems no escape from this conclusion。  Suppose

that we are asked; 'Is a horse useful to everybody?' will not our reply be;

'No; but only to those who know how to use a horse?'



ERYXIAS:  Certainly。



SOCRATES:  And so; too; physic is not useful to every one; but only to him

who knows how to use it?



ERYXIAS:  True。



SOCRATES:  And the same is the case with everything else?



ERYXIAS:  Yes。



SOCRATES:  Then gold and silver and all the other elements which are

supposed to make up wealth are only useful to the person who knows how to

use them?



ERYXIAS:  Exactly。



SOCRATES:  And were we not saying before that it was the business of a good

man and a gentleman to know where and how anything should be used?



ERYXIAS:  Yes。



SOCRATES:  The good and gentle; therefore will alone have profit from these

things; supposing at least that they know how to use them。  But if so; to

them only will they seem to be wealth。  It appears; however; that where a

person is ignorant of riding; and has horses which are useless to him; if

some one teaches him that art; he makes him also richer; for what was

before useless has now become useful to him; and in giving him knowledge he

has also conferred riches upon him。



ERYXIAS:  That is the case。



SOCRATES:  Yet I dare be sworn that Critias will not be moved a whit by the

argument。



CRITIAS:  No; by heaven; I should be a madman if I were。  But why do you

not finish the argument which proves that gold and silver and other things

which seem to be wealth are not real wealth?  For I have been exceedingly

delighted to hear the discourses which you have just been holding。



SOCRATES:  My argument; Critias (I said); appears to have given you the

same kind of pleasure which you might have derived from some rhapsode's

recitation of Homer; for you do not believe a word of what has been said。 

But come now; give me an answer to this question。  Are not certain things

useful to the builder when he is building a house?



CRITIAS:  They are。



SOCRATES:  And would you say that those things are useful which are

employed in house building;stones and bricks and beams and the like; and

also the instruments with which the builder built the house; the beams and

stones which they provided; and again the instruments by which these were

obtained?



CRITIAS:  It seems to me that they are all useful for building。



SOCRATES:  And is it not true of every art; that not only the materials but

the instruments by which we procure them and without which the work could

not go on; are useful for that art?



CRITIAS:  Certainly。



SOCRATES:  And further; the instruments by which the instruments are

procured; and so on; going back from stage to stage ad infinitum;are not

all these; in your opinion; necessary in order to carry out the work?



CRITIAS:  We may fairly suppose such to be the case。



SOCRATES:  And if a man has food and drink and clothes and the other things

which are useful to the body; would he need gold or silver or any other

means by which he could procure that which he now has?



CRITIAS:  I do not think so。



SOCRATES:  Then you consider that a man never wants any of these things for

the use of the body?



CRITIAS:  Certainly not。



SOCRATES:  And if they appear useless to this end; ought they not always to

appear useless?  For we have already laid down the principle that things


cannot be at one time useful and at another time not; in the same process。



CRITIAS:  But in that respect your argument and mine are the same。  For you

maintain if they are useful to a certain end; they can never become

useless; whereas I say that in order to accomplish some results bad things

are needed; and good for others。



SOCRATES:  But can a bad thing be used to carry out a good purpose?



CRITIAS:  I should say not。



SOCRATES:  And we call those actions good which a man does for the sake of

virtue?




CRITIAS:  Yes。



SOCRATES:  But can a man learn any kind of knowledge which is imparted by

word of mouth if he is wholly deprived of the sense of hearing?



CRITIAS:  Certainly not; I think。



SOCRATES:  And will not hearing be useful for virtue; i
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