Chapter 8 Volume 2 Chapter 1

Socrates, feeling somewhat that the pleasure-loving Aristippus is seeking a place in the government, advises him that self-control is a necessary qualification for a statesman, §§ 1-7.But since Aristippus said that he only wanted to live a life of leisure and enjoyment, Socrates asked a question, is the life of those who govern people happier, or the lives of those who are governed?Sections 8-10.Aristipus said that he neither wanted to govern nor be governed, but only wanted to enjoy freedom.Socrates tells him that the kind of freedom he wants is incompatible with the nature of human society, §11-13.Aristipus still insisted on his own opinion, and said that his wish was not to stay in any one country for a long time, but to visit and live in many countries, so Socrates pointed out to him the danger of this way of life Sex, pp. 14-16.However, Aristippus further accused those who would rather live a political life of hard work than a life of comfort and ease as fools. Socrates pointed out to him that people who work voluntarily and those who are forced to work The distinction between mortals, and says that none of the benefits enjoyed by mortals can be obtained without labour, §§ 17-20.To illustrate his point, Socrates narrates the fable of Pladix, The Choice of Heracles, §21-24.

From the following conversation, I take it that Socrates exhorted those who associated with him to practice self-control with respect to food, sexual desire, sleep, tolerance to cold, heat, and labor.When he saw that one of his associates was intemperate in these respects, he said to him: "Tell me, Aristippus, if you will be charged with educating two young men among us, so that How are you going to educate each of the one who is fit to rule and the other who is not willing to rule? Let's start with the basics of food, shall we?" "Indeed," replied Aristippus, "I think food is a very basic question, because a man cannot live without food."

"Then both of them will have a request to eat at a certain time?" "Yes, that's a natural thing," replied Aristips. "Which of these two, then, should we train him to regard urgent business as more important than food?" "No doubt he is trained to rule," replied Aristippus, "otherwise the affairs of state would be affected by his negligence." "When two people are thirsty," continued Socrates, "shall we not also train the same person to be thirsty?" "Of course," Aristiples replied. "Which of these two should we give him the ability to limit sleep so that he can go to bed late and rise early, and not sleep if need be?"

"Undoubtedly," replied Aristippus, "the same man." "Which of these two should we require of a man who possesses the power to control his libido so that it will not interfere with the execution of necessary tasks?" "The same man," Aristippus replied. "Which of these two should we train so that he does not shy away from work, but does it with pleasure?" "This too should be the one trained to rule over men," replied Aristippus. "Which of these two men needs the knowledge to defeat the enemy?" "Undoubtedly, and of course also he who is trained to govern men, this knowledge is very much in need, for without it all other qualifications are of no use," replied Aristippus.

"In your opinion, then, a man so trained would not be so easily overwhelmed by his enemy as other animals? We know that some of these animals were caught for greed; , are also enticed by their greed to swallow the bait; and others, by excessive drinking, are ensnared." "That too is indisputable," replied Aristippus. "Aren't there others, like the quail and the partridge, who, because of their sexuality, when they hear the call of a female, let down their vigilance for pleasure, and end up in a trap?" Aristippus agrees with this. "Then, do you think, is it not shameful that a man should fall into the same situation as the most ignorant beasts? Just as an adulterer knows that an adulterer is punished by the law and ambushed by the law." Perils of being caught, of being caught, of being beaten, yet enter the boudoir of women; and though so much pain and disgrace await the disciple, there are, on the other hand, many ways to save him from the dangers of carnal desires. , and he is willing to throw himself into the trap, don't you think this is like possessing by a demon?"

"I suppose so," Aristips replied. "Considering that the vast majority of life's great practice, war, agriculture, and many other things are done in the open air, don't you think it is a great deal that so many people are not trained to endure cold and heat Negligence?" Aristippus agreed. "Don't you think we ought to train those who are going to rule to bear these inconveniences with ease?" "Of course it should be," replied Aristippus. "If we classify those who can endure these things as 'fit to rule', shouldn't we class those who cannot endure these things as not even eligible to rule ?"

Aristippus agrees with this. "Now that you know which of these two classes of people belong, have you ever considered in which class you should place yourself?" "I have indeed thought about it," said Aristippus; "I never wanted to place myself in the class of those who would rule; If you are not satisfied with this difficult task, it is really absurd to want to shoulder the burden of providing all the necessities for the people of the country. Many things you want are not available, and you should list yourself in one Is it not folly to assume the leadership of the nation, and thus make myself condemned for failing to provide for the necessities of the nation? For the people think they have as much right to do with their leaders as I do with my servants, and I demand My servants provide me with abundant necessities, but they are not allowed to touch them; the people also think that the leaders of the country should provide them with every kind of enjoyment, but they do not want the leaders to have any enjoyment themselves. Troublesome men who at the same time cause a great deal of trouble for others, I train them thus, and place them in the category 'Fit to Rule'; but I place myself in the category of those who wish to enjoy as much ease and happiness as possible. ".

So Socrates asked: "Let us consider whether the ruled people live happier lives or the ruled people live happier lives?" "Of course," Aristiples replied. "Start first with the peoples we know. In Asia the rulers are the Persians; the Syrians, the Phrygians, and the Lydians, are the ruled. In Europe the rulers are the Scythians, who are The rulers are the Mayotai; in Africa the rulers are the Carthaginians and the ruled are the Libyans. Which of these do you think is happier? Or take the Greeks of which you are a part. As far as people are concerned, do you think the people in the ruling group live happier lives, or the ruled people live happier lives?"

"However, I am not a man of slavery," replied Aris Titus, "but I think there is a middle road in which I would like to walk, and this road is neither by dominion nor by slavery, but by It is through liberty, which is the bright road to happiness." "However," said Socrates, "if what you say is neither by the road of dominion nor of slavery, nor of the world, then perhaps what you say is worth considering. But since you You are living in the world, but you think it is inappropriate to rule and be ruled, and you are not willing to respect those who are in power. I think you will see that the strong have a way to treat the weak as slaves, Make them miserable in public as well as in private life. Can you not know that there are some who cut down the crops and trees that others have planted and cultivated, and in various ways harass those who do not The weak submit to them until they are obliged to accept their servitude in order to avoid war with the strong? Even in private life, don't you see that the brave and strong always enslave the timid and weak and enjoy the fruit of their labour?"

"But for me," replied Aristippus, "in order not to be treated like this, I do not intend to shut myself up as a citizen of a country, but to travel here and there as a guest." "And now what you say is indeed a brilliant stratagem," said Socrates, "for no one has done harm to travelers since Sines, Skyron, and Paracrustus were slain! But The rulers of the nations, now enacting laws to protect themselves from harm, made friends besides those who must hear their call, and built forts round their cities, and armed them with arms against the assault of their enemies, except Besides all this, they seek allies in foreign countries; but, in spite of these defenses, they are wounded; and you, having not so many advantages, spend much time on the highway where many are killed; When you enter a city, your strength is always not as strong as the residents of that city, and you are easy to become the target of the gangsters' attention and attack. Do you think that because you are a stranger, you can avoid being victimized? Yes What makes you so confident? Is it that these cities have enacted ordinances for the protection of travelers? Or do you think that no slave-owner will regard you as a worthy slave? For who would take a man who does not love What about people who work and only want to get the best treatment and stay at home?"

"But now let us consider what slaveholders do with such slaves! Don't they curb their gluttony by starving them? Deterring them by making them inaccessible Stealing? Didn't they lock them up with chains to keep them from running away? Didn't they drive away their sloth with whips? How did you yourself get rid of your house slaves like that? What about the shortcomings?" "I punished them in every way," answered Aristippus, "until they were obliged to obey me. But what, Socrates, do you seem to think happy of those who have been trained in the art of government?" How are they different from those who are forced to suffer, since they also have to willingly suffer the same hunger, cold, sleeplessness, and many other sufferings? For the same skin, whether voluntary or involuntary, is whipped anyway, Or, to put it simply, the same body, whether voluntarily or involuntarily, suffers these sufferings, making no difference, in my opinion, except the folly of the one who suffers voluntarily." "Why, Aristippus," asked Socrates, "don't you see this difference between the man who suffers voluntarily and the man who suffers involuntarily, that the man who starves voluntarily because he starves is Of his own choice, he may eat when he wills, and the man who is thirsty voluntarily, because he is thirsty of his own choice, may drink when he wills, and there are other voluntary sufferings as well. The same is the case, and the man who is forced to suffer has no freedom to end his suffering at will? Moreover, the willing man is inspired by good hope when he suffers, just as the hunter endures toil with joy, because he has The hope of hunting wild beasts. Indeed, the reward for such labor is of little value; and as for those who toil for precious friends, or for victory over foes, or for sound health and vigor Can you not think that those who work hard to manage their household well, do good to their friends, and contribute to the country, are happy to work hard for all these goals, or that they live happily , not only have peace of mind, but also be praised and envied by others? Besides, laziness and immediate enjoyment, as the health sports trainers tell us, can neither make the body have a sound constitution, nor can the mind gain any value. Good and noble deeds are built by persevering effort, as good men tell us, and Hesiodes says somewhere: ' Evil is everywhere, and it is easy to find: the way to it is smooth, and it is near us.But the immortal gods place toil and sweat before the palace of virtue: the way to it is long and hard, and at first rough; but when you have climbed to the top, it is at last easy , although it is difficult at first. 'Epihamos also testifies to us in the following verses: 'The gods demand that we labor as the price for all good things'. Elsewhere he also said: 'Rogues, don't miss the easy things, lest you get hard things instead'. " "The wise Pladix expressed the same opinion concerning virtue in his treatise on Heracles. He told this treatise to a large audience, and as far as I Roughly as follows: 'When Heracles passes from childhood to youth, that is, when the infant becomes a man, becomes independent, and begins to consider how to go about life, whether by the path of virtue or by the path of vice , Once he came to a peaceful place and sat down to consider which of these two paths he should take.At this time, two tall women came to him.One was handsome, well-behaved, with radiant skin, decent eyes, serene figure, and dressed in white clothes; the other was fat and delicate, and dressed so that her complexion appeared fairer than her natural one. White and rosy, her figure is taller than she really is, her eyes are wide open, she is dressed coquettishly, if she is looking forward to herself most of the time, she is often peeking at others. Instead of staring at her, she often looks at herself in pity. ’” As they approached Heracles, the first walked with his old leisurely gait, but the other, hastening to overtake her, ran up to Heracles and cried: “Heracles I see, Lacres, that you are hesitating about which path to take in life; if you make friends with me, I will lead you along the happiest and most comfortable paths, and you will taste all kinds of things. There are all kinds of joyful tastes, and you will not experience any difficulties in your life.First of all, you don't have to worry about wars and national affairs. You can always think about what to eat, what to drink, what to see or listen to, what to smell or appreciate what you like, and what to do. The kind of people who make the most pleasant associations, how to sleep most comfortably, and how to get all these with the least effort.Just in case you fear that you won't be able to get them, you don't have to be afraid that I will make you work hard to get them.You will get the fruits of other people's labor, and you can take whatever is useful to you without any scruples, because I give everyone who is with me the right to get what they want from anywhere. " When Hercules heard this, he asked, "What is your name, madam?" "My friends call me happiness", she replied, "but those who hate me call me villainy". "During the conversation, the woman also approached, and she said, 'Heracles, I also come to talk to you, I know your parents, I have noticed your childhood education, I hope you will walk your steps toward my abode, and you will do all noble and noble things, and I will be more honored and noble by these good deeds. But I will not start with a set of good words To deceive you: I want to tell you honestly what the gods have stipulated. Because of all the good things that the gods have bestowed on people, none of them can be obtained without hard work. If you want to be favored by the gods, you must Worship to the gods; if you hope to gain the friendship of your friends, you must treat your friends well; if you want honor from a city, you must support the city; if you hope to be praised by all Greece for your virtue , then you must do good to all Greece; if you want the land to be fruitful for you, you must cultivate it; ;If you would grow strong through war, gain strength to liberate your friends and subdue your enemies, you must learn the arts of war from those who know war, and use them rightly in practice; if you will To make the body strong, you must make the body the servant of the mind, and train it with sweat and toil." "According to Pradix, at this point Evil intervened and said: 'Heracles, do you notice how hard and long the road to happiness this woman has drawn to you? I shall Lead you to happiness by an easy and short path.'” Virtue replied, "You shameless woman, what good thing do you have? How can you experience a good thing if you don't work hard to get it? You don't even have the patience to wait for the desire for a good thing to arise, Eat when you are not hungry, drink when you are not thirsty, hire a cook so that you may taste delicious food, buy good wine so that you may drink it to your heart's content, and buy wine so that you may drink it to your heart's content To be cooler, you run around looking for ice and snow in summer. In order to sleep comfortably, you not only prepare a soft bedding, but also place a pedestal under the bed, because the reason why you sleep is not because you are tired from work, but because you have nothing to do. Do, be idle. You arouse lust in every way when you don't want it, and use men for women; that's how you teach your friends to be wild by night and use their best by day. Time is spent in sleep. Immortal though you are, you are cast aside by the gods, despised by good men. The sweetest of all voices, the voice of praise, you cannot hear; You can't see the best things in the world, because you never see anything good you do. Who will believe what you say? Who will give you what you ask? Who is sane Will people dare to hang out with you? Because those who are addicted to you are weak in body when they are young, and their hearts are not wise when they are old; , They are all down and out, suffering unspeakably; their past behaviors have brought shame to themselves, and their current behaviors have brought them troubles. When they were young, they lived carefree, but they accumulated hardships and difficulties when they were old. But I am the companion of the gods, and the friend of the good people; all the good things that the gods or people do, there is nothing that does not depend on me: I am highly valued by the gods, and respected by those who share my heart and mind : I am a beloved fellow worker of artisans, a faithful steward of masters, a loving guardian of servants, a passionate participant in peaceful labors, a staunch ally in the deeds of war, and the ultimate champion of friendship. Good fellows. My friends all enjoy the joys of eating in a good mood and carefree, because they always wait until their appetites are strong to eat. They sleep better than lazy people: neither do they wake up troubled, they do not neglect their duties because of their sleep. The young rejoice at the praise of the old; the old rejoice at the esteem of the young; Inspired to work at present. Through me, they are favored by the gods, loved by friends, and valued by the people of the country. When the end comes, they do not lie there forgotten and unrespected, but live forever , will always be praised and commemorated by people. Heracles, you have very good parents, if you are willing to work hard like this, you will definitely strive for the greatest happiness for yourself.” "Pladix's story of Heracles' instruction in virtue is roughly like this; only he uses much more flowery words than I have just used. But at any rate, Aristippus, you put It pays to keep these things in your heart and think about your current life.”