第 33 节
作者:      更新:2021-02-18 23:31      字数:9322
  mankind   are   ignorant;   they   do   not   pronounce   him   〃mad〃;'8'   but   a   like
  aberration of mind; if only it be about matters within the scope of ordinary
  knowledge;        they    call  madness。      For    instance;    any    one    who    imagined
  himself too tall to pass under a gateway of the Long Wall without stooping;
  or   so   strong   as   to   try   to   lift   a   house;   or   to   attempt   any   other   obvious
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  impossibility; is a madman according to them; but in the popular sense he
  is   not   mad;   if   his   obliquity   is   confined   to   small   matters。   In   fact;   just   as
  strong desire goes by the name of passion in popular parlance; so mental
  obliquity on a grand scale is entitled madness。
  '7' See K。 Joel; op。 cit。 p。 346; Grote; 〃Plato;〃 i。 400。
  '8'   Or;   〃they   resent   the   term   'mad'   being   applied   to   people   who   are
  all abroad;〃 etc。 See Comte; 〃Pos。 Pol。〃 i。 575; ii。 373 (Engl。                        trans。)
  In   answer   to   the   question:   what   is   envy?   he   discovered   it   to   be   a
  certain kind of pain; not certainly the sorrow felt at the misfortunes of a
  friend or the good fortune of an enemythat is not envy; but; as he said;
  〃envy   is   felt   by   those   alone   who   are   annoyed   at   the   successes   of   their
  friends。〃 And   when   some   one   or   other   expressed   astonishment   that   any
  one friendlily disposed to another should be pained at his well…doing; he
  reminded him of a common tendency in people: when any one is faring ill
  their sympathies are touched; they rush to the aid of the unfortunate; but
  when fortune smiles on others; they are somwhow pained。 〃I do not say;〃
  he    added;     〃this   could     happen     to   a  thoughtful      person;     but   it  is  no
  uncommon condition of a silly mind。〃'9'
  '9'   Or;   〃a   man   in   his   senses   。   。   。   a   simpleton〃;   for   the   sentiment   L。
  Dind。 cf。 Isocr。 〃ad Demonic。〃 7 D。
  In   answer   to   the   question:   what   is   leisure?   I   discover   (he   said)   that
  most men do something:'10' for instance; the dice player;'11' the gambler;
  the buffoon; do something; but these have leisure; they can; if they like;
  turn   and   do   something   better;   but   nobody   has   leisure   to   turn   from   the
  better to the worse; and if he does so turn; when he has no leisure; he does
  but ill in that。
  '10'   See   above;   I。   ii。   57;   and   in   ref。   to   these   definitions;   K。   Joel;
  op。 cit。 p。 347 foll。
  '11' For   〃dice…playing〃 see   Becker; 〃Charicl。〃   354 (Engl。 trans。);   for
  〃buffoonery;〃 ib。 98; 〃Symp。〃
  (To pass to another definition。) They are not kings or rulers (he said)
  who hold the sceptre merely; or are chosen by fellows out of the street;'12'
  or are appointed by lot; or have stepped into office by violence or by fraud;
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  but those who have the special knowledge'13' how to rule。 Thus having
  won the admission that it is the function of a ruler to enjoin what ought to
  be done; and of those who are ruled to obey; he proceeded to point out by
  instances that in a ship the ruler or captain is the man of special knowledge;
  to whom; as an expert; the shipowner himself and all the others on board
  obey。 So likewise; in the matter of husbandry; the proprietor of an estate;
  in that of sickness; the patient; in that of physical training of the body; the
  youthful athlete going through a course; and; in general; every one directly
  concerned   in   any   matter   needing   attention   and   care   will   either   attend   to
  this matter personally; if he thinks he has the special knowledge; or; if he
  mistrusts his own science; will be eager to obey any expert on the spot; or
  will even send and fetch one from a distance。 The guidance of this expert
  he will follow; and do what he has to do at his dictation。
  '12' Tom; Dick; and Harry (as we say)。
  '13' The {episteme}。 See above; III。 v。 21; Newman; op。 cit。 i。 256。
  And thus; in the art of spinning wool; he liked to point out that women
  are the rulers of menand why? because they have the knowledge of the
  art; and men have not。
  And if any one raised the objection that a tyrant has it in his power not
  to obey good and correct advice; he would retort: 〃Pray; how has he the
  option     not   to  obey;   considering      the  penalty    hanging     over   him    who
  disobeys   the   words   of   wisdom?   for   whatever   the   matter   be   in   which   he
  disobeys the word of good advice; he will fall into error; I presume; and
  falling into error; be punished。〃 And to the suggestion that the tyrant could;
  if he liked; cut off the head of the man of wisdom; his answer was: 〃Do
  you think that he who destroys his best ally will go scot free; or suffer a
  mere slight and passing loss? Is he more likely to secure his salvation that
  way; think you; or to compass his own swift destruction?〃'14'
  '14'   Or;   〃Is   that   to   choose   the   path   of   safety;   think   you?   Is   it   not
  rather    to  sign   his  own    death…warrent?〃       L。  Dind。    cf。  Hesiod;    〃Works
  and Days;〃 293。 See Newman; op。 cit。 i。 393…397。
  When some one asked him: 〃What he regarded as the best pursuit or
  business'15' for a man?〃 he answered: 〃Successful conduct〃;'16' and to a
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  second     question:    〃Did    he  then   regard    good    fortune   as  an   end   to  be
  pursued?〃〃On the contrary;〃 he answered; 〃for myself; I consider fortune
  and conduct to be diametrically opposed。 For instance; to succeed in some
  desirable   course   of   action   without   seeking   to   do   so;   I   hold   to   be   good
  fortune;   but   to   do  a   thing   well   by   dint   of   learning  and   practice;  that
  according to my creed is successful conduct;'17' and those who make this
  the serious business of their life seem to me to do well。〃
  '15' Or; 〃the noblest study。〃
  '16' {eupraxia; eu prattein}to do well; in the sense both of well or
  right     doing;     and    of    welfare;     and    is    accordingly      opposed      to
  {eutukhia}; mere good luck or success。 Cf。 Plat。 〃Euthyd。〃 281 B。
  '17' Lit。 〃well…doing〃; and for the Socratic view see Newman; op。 cit。
  i。 305; 401。
  They are at once the best and the dearest in the sight of God'18' (he
  went   on   to   say)   who   for   instance   in   husbandry   do   well   the   things   of
  farming; or in the art of healing all that belongs to healing; or in statecraft
  the affairs   of   state;   whereas   a   man   who   does   nothing   well   nor   well   in
  anythingis (he added) neither good for anything nor dear to God。
  '18' Or; 〃most divinely favoured。〃 Cf。 Plat。 〃Euthyphro;〃 7 A。
  X
  But indeed;'1' if chance brought him into conversation with any one
  possessed of an art; and using it for daily purposes of business; he never
  failed to be useful to this kind of person。 For instance; stepping one time
  into the studio of Parrhasius'2' the painter; and getting into conversation
  with him
  '1' {alla men kai} 。 。 。 〃But indeed the sphere of his helpfulness was
  not circumscribed; if;〃 etc。
  '2' For Parrhasius of Ephesus; the son of Evenor and rival of Zeuxis;
  see Woltmann and Woermann; 〃Hist。 of Painting;〃 p。 47 foll。;                        Cobet;
  〃Pros。 Xen。〃 p。 50 (cf。 in particular Quint。 XII。 x。 627)。                 At the date of
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  conversation   (real      or  ideal)   he  may    be   supposed     to       have     been   a
  young man。
  I   suppose;     Parrhasius     (said   he);   painting    may    be   defined     as  〃a
  representation of visible objects;〃 may it not?'3' That is to say; by means
  of colours and palette you painters represent and reproduce as closely as
  possible the ups and downs; lights and shadows; hard and soft; rough and
  smooth surfaces; the freshness of youth and the wrinkles of age; do you
  not?
  '3'    Reading     with    Schneider;      L。  Dind。;     etc。;  after   Stobaeus;     {e
  graphike   estin   eikasia};   or   if   the   vulg。   {graphike   estin   e       eikasia};
  trans。   〃Painting   is   the   term   applied   to   a   particular      representation;〃
  etc。
  You are right (he answered); that is s