phaedo-第8章

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slighter　and　weaker　than　a　coat。　Now　the　relation　of　the　body　to　the



soul　may　be　expressed　in　a　similar　figure；　for　you　may　say　with　reason



that　the　soul　is　lasting；　and　the　body　weak　and　short…lived　in



comparison。　And　every　soul　may　be　said　to　wear　out　many　bodies；



especially　in　the　course　of　a　long　life。　For　if　while　the　man　is　alive



the　body　deliquesces　and　decays；　and　yet　the　soul　always　weaves　her



garment　anew　and　repairs　the　waste；　then　of　course；　when　the　soul



perishes；　she　must　have　on　her　last　garment；　and　this　only　will



survive　her；　but　then　again　when　the　soul　is　dead　the　body　will　at



last　show　its　native　weakness；　and　soon　pass　into　decay。　And　therefore



this　is　an　argument　on　which　I　would　rather　not　rely　as　proving　that



the　soul　exists　after　death。　For　suppose　that　we　grant　even　more



than　you　affirm　as　within　the　range　of　possibility；　and　besides



acknowledging　that　the　soul　existed　before　birth　admit　also　that　after



death　the　souls　of　some　are　existing　still；　and　will　exist；　and　will



be　born　and　die　again　and　again；　and　that　there　is　a　natural



strength　in　the　soul　which　will　hold　out　and　be　born　many　times…for



all　this；　we　may　be　still　inclined　to　think　that　she　will　weary　in　the



labors　of　successive　births；　and　may　at　last　succumb　in　one　of　her



deaths　and　utterly　perish；　and　this　death　and　dissolution　of　the



body　which　brings　destruction　to　the　soul　may　be　unknown　to　any　of　us；



for　no　one　of　us　can　have　had　any　experience　of　it：　and　if　this　be



true；　then　I　say　that　he　who　is　confident　in　death　has　but　a　foolish



confidence；　unless　he　is　able　to　prove　that　the　soul　is　altogether



immortal　and　imperishable。　But　if　he　is　not　able　to　prove　this；　he　who



is　about　to　die　will　always　have　reason　to　fear　that　when　the　body



is　disunited；　the　soul　also　may　utterly　perish。



　　All　of　us；　as　we　afterwards　remarked　to　one　another；　had　an



unpleasant　feeling　at　hearing　them　say　this。　When　we　had　been　so



firmly　convinced　before；　now　to　have　our　faith　shaken　seemed　to



introduce　a　confusion　and　uncertainty；　not　only　into　the　previous



argument；　but　into　any　future　one；　either　we　were　not　good　judges；



or　there　were　no　real　grounds　of　belief。



　　Ech。　There　I　feel　with　you…indeed　I　do；　Phaedo；　and　when　you　were



speaking；　I　was　beginning　to　ask　myself　the　same　question：　What



argument　can　I　ever　trust　again？　For　what　could　be　more　convincing



than　the　argument　of　Socrates；　which　has　now　fallen　into　discredit？



That　the　soul　is　a　harmony　is　a　doctrine　which　has　always　had　a



wonderful　attraction　for　me；　and；　when　mentioned；　came　back　to　me　at



once；　as　my　own　original　conviction。　And　now　I　must　begin　again　and



find　another　argument　which　will　assure　me　that　when　the　man　is　dead



the　soul　dies　not　with　him。　Tell　me；　I　beg；　how　did　Socrates



proceed？　Did　he　appear　to　share　the　unpleasant　feeling　which　you



mention？　or　did　he　receive　the　interruption　calmly　and　give　a



sufficient　answer？　Tell　us；　as　exactly　as　you　can；　what　passed。



　　Phaed。　Often；　Echecrates；　as　I　have　admired　Socrates；　I　never



admired　him　more　than　at　that　moment。　That　he　should　be　able　to　answer



was　nothing；　but　what　astonished　me　was；　first；　the　gentle　and



pleasant　and　approving　manner　in　which　he　regarded　the　words　of　the



young　men；　and　then　his　quick　sense　of　the　wound　which　had　been



inflicted　by　the　argument；　and　his　ready　application　of　the　healing



art。　He　might　be　compared　to　a　general　rallying　his　defeated　and



broken　army；　urging　them　to　follow　him　and　return　to　the　field　of



argument。



　　Ech。　How　was　that？



　　Phaed。　You　shall　hear；　for　I　was　close　to　him　on　his　right　hand；



seated　on　a　sort　of　stool；　and　he　on　a　couch　which　was　a　good　deal



higher。　Now　he　had　a　way　of　playing　with　my　hair；　and　then　he　smoothed



my　head；　and　pressed　the　hair　upon　my　neck；　and　said：　To…morrow；



Phaedo；　I　suppose　that　these　fair　locks　of　yours　will　be　severed。



　　Yes；　Socrates；　I　suppose　that　they　will；　I　replied。



　　Not　so　if　you　will　take　my　advice。



　　What　shall　I　do　with　them？　I　said。



　　To…day；　he　replied；　and　not　to…morrow；　if　this　argument　dies　and



cannot　be　brought　to　life　again　by　us；　you　and　I　will　both　shave　our



locks；　and　if　I　were　you；　and　could　not　maintain　my　ground　against



Simmias　and　Cebes；　I　would　myself　take　an　oath；　like　the　Argives；



not　to　wear　hair　any　more　until　I　had　renewed　the　conflict　and



defeated　them。



　　Yes；　I　said；　but　Heracles　himself　is　said　not　to　be　a　match　for　two。



　　Summon　me　then；　he　said；　and　I　will　be　your　Iolaus　until　the　sun



goes　down。



　　I　summon　you　rather；　I　said；　not　as　Heracles　summoning　Iolaus；　but



as　Iolaus　might　summon　Heracles。



　　That　will　be　all　the　same；　he　said。　But　first　let　us　take　care



that　we　avoid　a　danger。



　　And　what　is　that？　I　said。



　　The　danger　of　becoming　misologists；　he　replied；　which　is　one　of



the　very　worst　things　that　can　happen　to　us。　For　as　there　are



misanthropists　or　haters　of　men；　there　are　also　misologists　or



haters　of　ideas；　and　both　spring　from　the　same　cause；　which　is



ignorance　of　the　world。　Misanthropy　arises　from　the　too　great



confidence　of　inexperience；　you　trust　a　man　and　think　him　altogether



true　and　good　and　faithful；　and　then　in　a　little　while　he　turns　out　to



be　false　and　knavish；　and　then　another　and　another；　and　when　this



has　happened　several　times　to　a　man；　especially　within　the　circle　of



his　most　trusted　friends；　as　he　deems　them；　and　he　has　often　quarreled



with　them；　he　at　last　hates　all　men；　and　believes　that　no　one　has



any　good　in　him　at　all。　I　dare　say　that　you　must　have　observed　this。



　　Yes；　I　said。



　　And　is　not　this　discreditable？　The　reason　is　that　a　man；　having　to



deal　with　other　men；　has　no　knowledge　of　them；　for　if　he　had　knowledge



he　would　have　known　the　true　state　of　the　case；　that　few　are　the



good　and　few　the　evil；　and　that　the　great　majority　are　in　the　interval



between　them。



　　How　do　you　mean？　I　said。



　　I　mean；　he　replied；　as　you　might　say　of　the　very　large　and　very



small；　that　nothing　is　more　uncommon　than　a　very　large　or　a　very　small



man；　and　this　applies　generally　to　all　extremes；　whether　of　great



and　small；　or　swift　and　slow；　or　fair　and　foul；　or　black　and　white：



and　whether　the　instances　you　select　be　men　or　dogs　or　anything



else；　few　are　the　extremes；　but　many　are　in　the　mean　between　them。　Did



you　never　observe　this？



　　Yes；　I　said；　I　have。



　　And　do　you　not　imagine；　he　said；　that　if　there　were　a　competition　of



evil；　the　first　in　evil　would　be　found　to　be　very　few？



　　Yes；　that　is　very　likely；　I　said。



　　Yes；　that　is　very　likely；　he　replied；　not　that　in　this　respect



arguments　are　like　men…there　I　was　led　on　by　you　to　say　more　than　I



had　intended；　but　the　point　of　comparison　was　that　when　a　simple　man



who　has　no　skill　in　dialectics　believes　an　argument　to　be　true　which



he　afterwards　imagines　to　be　false；　whether　really　false　or　not；　and



then　another　and　another；　he　has　no　longer　any　faith　left；　and　great



disputers；　as　you　know；　come　to　think；　at　last　that　they　have　grown　to



be　the　wisest　of　mankind；　for　they　alone　perceive　the　utter



unsoundness　and　instability　of　all　arguments；　or；　indeed；　of　all



things；　which；　like　the　currents　in　the　Euripus；　are　going　up　and　down



in　never…ceasing　ebb　and　flow。



　　That　is　quite　true；　I　said。



　　Yes；　Phaedo；　he　replied；　and　very　melancholy　too；　if　there　be　such　a



thing　as　truth　or　certainty　or　power　of　knowing　at　all；　that　a　man



should　have　lighted　upon　some　argument　or　other　which　at　first



seemed　true　and　then　turned　out　to　be　false；　and　instead　of　blaming



himself　and　his　own　want　of　wit；　because　he　is　annoyed；　should　at　last



be　too　glad　to　transfer　the　blame　from　himself　to　arguments　in



general；　and　forever　afterwards　should　hate　and　revile　them；　and



lose　the　truth　and　knowledge　of　existence。



　　Yes；　indeed；　I　said；　that　is　very　melancholy。



　　Let　us；　then；　in　the　first　place；　he　said；　be　careful　of　admitting



into　our　souls　the　notion　that　there　is　no　truth　or　health　or



soundness　in　any　arguments　at　all；　but　let　us　rather　say　that　there　is



as　yet　no　health　in　us；　and　that　we　must　quit　ourselves　like　men　and



do　our　best　to　gain　health…you　and　all　other　men　with　a　view　to　the



whole　of　your　future　life；　and　I　myself　with　a　view　to　death。　For　at



this　moment　I　am　sensible　that　I　have　not　the　temper　of　a　philosopher；



like　the　vulgar；　I　am　only　a　partisan。　For　the　partisan；　when　he　is



engaged　in　a　dispute；　cares　nothing　about　the　rights　of　the



question；　but　is　anxious　only　to　convince　his　hearers　of　his　own



assertions。　And　the　difference　between　him　and　me　at　the　present



moment　is　only　this…that　whereas　he　seeks　to　convince　his　hearers　that



what　he　says　is　true；　I　am　rather　seeking　to　convince　myself；　to



convince　my　hearers　is　a　secondary　matter　with　me。　And　do　but　see



how　much　I　gain　by　this。　For　if　what　I　say　is　true；　then　I　do　well



to　be　persuaded　of　the　truth；　but　if　there　be　nothing　after　death；



still；　during　the　short　time　that　remains；　I　shall　save　my　friends



from　lamentations；　and　my　ignorance　will　not　last；　and　therefore　no



harm　will　be　done。　This　is　the　state　of　mind；　Simmias　and　Cebes；　in



which　I　approach　the　argument。　And　I　would　ask　you　to　be　thinking　of



the　truth　and　not　of　Socrates：　agree　with　me；　if　I　seem　to　you　to　be



speaking　the　truth；　or　if　not；　withstand　me　might　and　main；　that　I　may



not　deceive　you　as　well　as　myself　in　my　enthusiasm；　and；　like　the　bee；



leave　my　sting　in　you　before　I　die。



　　And　now　let　us　proceed；　he　said。　And　first　of　all　let　me　be　sure



that　I　have　in　my　mind　what　you　were　saying。　Simmias；　if　I　remember



rightly；　has　fears　and　misgivings　whether　the　soul；　being　in　the



form　of　harmony；　although　a　fairer　and　diviner　thing　than　the　body；



may　not　perish　first。　On　the　other　hand；　Cebes　appeared　to　grant



that　the　soul　was　more　lasting　than　the　body；　but　he　said　that　no



one　could　know　whether　the　soul；　after　having　worn　out　many　bodies；



might　not　perish　herself　and　leave　her　last　body　behind　her；　and



that　this　is　death；　which　is　the　destruction　not　of　the　body　but　of



the　soul；　for　in　the　body　the　work　of　destruction　is　ever　going　on。



Are　not　these；　Simmias　and　Cebes；　the　points　which　we　have　to



consider？



　　They　both　agreed　to　this　statement　of　them。



　　He　proceeded：　And　did　you　deny　the　force　of　the　whole　preceding



argument；　or　of　a　part　only？



　　Of　a　part　only；　they　replied。



　　And　what　did　you　think；　he　said；　of　that　part　of　the　argument　in



which　we　said　that　knowledge　was　recollection　only；　and　inferred



from　this　that　the　soul　must　have　previously　existed　somewhere　else



before　she　was　enclosed　in　the　body？　Cebes　said　that　he　had　been