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Section 136

SOCRATES. "And if you were on a ship in a storm, would you trust the philosopher or the pilot?" "The pilot," he said. "And if you were building a house, would you hire the philosopher or the builder?" "The builder." "And isn't it the same in all other matters? As long as there is an expert, the philosopher is useless, because he is only second-best." "It appears so," he agreed. "Then the philosopher seems to be a useless person, my friend. For there are always experts available in the various arts, and we agreed that the good men are useful, and the bad are useless." The intellectual lover was compelled to agree to this, though reluctantly. "But let me ask you this," I continued. "Is it the same art that knows how to punish dogs and horses correctly, and also how to make them better?" "Yes, it is the same." "And is this the same art that knows how to distinguish the good from the bad?" "Yes." "And does this apply to humans as well? Is the art that makes humans better the same one that knows how to punish them properly and distinguish the good from the bad?" "It is," he said. "And the art that applies to one human, does it also apply to many? And the one that applies to many, does it apply to one?" "Yes." "And the same is true for horses and everything else?" "Yes."