Plato, Euthydemus, ed. John Burnet, 307

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[307]

ΣΩ.

ὦ φίλε Κρίτων, οὐκ οἶσθα ὅτι ἐν παντὶ ἐπιτηδεύματι οἱ μὲν φαῦλοι πολλοὶ καὶ οὐδενὸς ἄξιοι, οἱ δὲ σπουδαῖοι ὀλίγοι καὶ παντὸς ἄξιοι; ἐπεὶ γυμναστικὴ οὐ καλὸν δοκεῖ σοι εἶναι, καὶ χρηματιστικὴ καὶ ῥητορικὴ καὶ στρατηγία;

ΚΡ.

ἔμοιγε πάντως δήπου.

ΣΩ.

τί οὖν; ἐν ἑκάστῃ τούτων τοὺς πολλοὺς πρὸς 307b ἕκαστον τὸ ἔργον οὐ καταγελάστους ὁρᾷς;

ΚΡ.

ναὶ μὰ τὸν Δία, καὶ μάλα ἀληθῆ λέγεις.

ΣΩ.

ἦ οὖν τούτου ἕνεκα αὐτός τε φεύξῃ πάντα τὰ ἐπιτηδεύματα καὶ τῷ ὑεῖ οὐκ ἐπιτρέψεις;

ΚΡ.

οὔκουν δίκαιόν γε, ὦ Σώκρατες.

ΣΩ.

μὴ τοίνυν ὅ γε οὐ χρὴ ποίει, ὦ Κρίτων, ἀλλʼ ἐάσας χαίρειν τοὺς ἐπιτηδεύοντας φιλοσοφίαν, εἴτε χρηστοί εἰσιν εἴτε πονηροί, αὐτὸ τὸ πρᾶγμα βασανίσας καλῶς τε καὶ εὖ, 307c ἐὰν μέν σοι φαίνηται φαῦλον ὄν, πάντʼ ἄνδρα ἀπότρεπε, μὴ μόνον τοὺς ὑεῖς· ἐὰν δὲ φαίνηται οἷον οἶμαι αὐτὸ ἐγὼ εἶναι, θαρρῶν δίωκε καὶ ἄσκει, τὸ λεγόμενον δὴ τοῦτο, αὐτός τε καὶ τὰ παιδία.

Euthydemus. Plato. ed. John Burnet. Oxford. 1903.

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Εὐθύδημος (Greek) (Platonis Opera, Tomus III: Tetralogia V-VII. Burnet, John, editor. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1903.)

Translations (1)

Euthydemus Perseus (Plato in Twelve Volumes, Vol. 2. Lamb, W.R.M, translator. Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1924 (printing).) — 307 focus

Soc.

My dear Crito are you not aware that in every trade the duffers are many and worthless, whereas the good workers are few and worth any price? Why, do you not hold athletics, and money-making, and rhetoric, and generalship, to be fine things?

Cri.

Certainly I do, of course. 307b

Soc.

Well then, in each of these, do you not see most men making a ridiculous show at their respective tasks?

Cri.

Yes, I know: what you say is perfectly true.

Soc.

Then will you yourself on this account eschew all these pursuits, and not let your son have anything to do with them?

Cri.

No, there would be no good reason for that, Socrates.

Soc.

Then avoid at least what is wrong, Crito: let those who practise philosophy have their way, 307c whether they are helpful or mischievous; and when you have tested the matter itself, well and truly, if you find it to be a poor affair, turn everyone you can away from it, not only your sons: but if you find it to be such as I think it is, pursue and ply it without fear, both you, as they say, and yours.

Plato Euthydemus 307

ed. John Burnet

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