Section 92

"And yet," he said, "if an argument about harmony should harmonize with anything, it should be with this one." "It should," said Simmias. "But this one does not harmonize with your view," he said. "Consider: which argument do you choose? That learning is recollection, or that the soul is a harmony?" "The former, much preferred, Socrates," he said. "The latter came to me without proof, from a certain probability and plausibility, which is why most people find it appealing. I know that arguments making their proofs through probabilities are impostors, and if one is not careful, they deceive greatly in geometry and everything else. But the argument about recollection and learning was delivered through an assumption worthy of acceptance. It was said that our soul existed before entering the body exactly as that reality which bears the name 'what it is.' I have accepted this reality sufficiently and rightly, as I am persuaded. Therefore, it is necessary for me, it seems, to accept neither from myself nor from anyone else the assertion that the soul is a harmony." "Consider this as well, Simmias," he said. "Do you think a harmony, or any other composite thing, should be in a state different from the elements from which it is composed?" "By no means." "Nor can it do or suffer anything other than what they do or suffer?" He agreed. "Therefore, a harmony is not naturally suited to lead the things that compose it, but to follow them." He agreed. "It is far from possible for a harmony to move, sound, or do anything contrary to its parts." "Far from it," he said. "Is not every harmony naturally a harmony according to the way it is harmonized?" "I don't understand," he said. "If it is harmonized more, and more fully—if such a thing is possible—would it not be more of a harmony and a fuller one? And if less, and less fully, less of a harmony and a lesser one?" "Certainly." "Is this true of the soul? Is one soul even in the slightest degree more, and more fully, or less, and less fully, a soul than another?" "Not in the least," he said.

Τμῆμα 92

ΦΑΙΔ.τί οὖν, ἦ δ’ ὅς, περὶ ἐκείνου τοῦ λόγου λέγετε ἐν ᾧ ἔφαμεν τὴν μάθησιν ἀνάμνησιν εἶναι, καὶ τούτου οὕτως ἔχοντος ἀναγκαίως ἔχειν ἄλλοθι πρότερον ἡμῶν εἶναι τὴν ψυχήν, πρὶν ἐν τῷ σώματι ἐνδεθῆναι; ἐγὼ μέν, ἔφη ὁ Κέβης, καὶ τότε θαυμαστῶς ὡς ἐπείσθην ὑπ’ αὐτοῦ καὶ νῦν ἐμμένω ὡς οὐδενὶ λόγῳ. καὶ μήν, ἔφη ὁ Σιμμίας, καὶ αὐτὸς οὕτως ἔχω, καὶ πάνυ ἂν θαυμάζοιμι εἴ μοι περί γε τούτου ἄλλο ποτέ τι δόξειεν. καὶ ὁ Σωκράτης, ἀλλὰ ἀνάγκη σοι, ἔφη, ὦ ξένε Θηβαῖε, ἄλλα δόξαι, ἐάνπερ μείνῃ ἥδε ἡ οἴησις, τὸ ἁρμονίαν μὲν εἶναι σύνθετον πρᾶγμα, ψυχὴν δὲ ἁρμονίαν τινὰ ἐκ τῶν κατὰ τὸ σῶμα ἐντεταμένων συγκεῖσθαι· οὐ γάρ που ἀποδέξῃ γε σαυτοῦ λέγοντος ὡς πρότερον ἦν ἁρμονία συγκειμένη, πρὶν ἐκεῖνα εἶναι ἐξ ὧν ἔδει αὐτὴν συντεθῆναι. ἢ ἀποδέξῃ; οὐδαμῶς, ἔφη, ὦ Σώκρατες. αἰσθάνῃ οὖν, ἦ δ’ ὅς, ὅτι ταῦτά σοι συμβαίνει λέγειν, ὅταν φῇς μὲν εἶναι τὴν ψυχὴν πρὶν καὶ εἰς ἀνθρώπου εἶδός τε καὶ σῶμα ἀφικέσθαι, εἶναι δὲ αὐτὴν συγκειμένην ἐκ τῶν οὐδέπω ὄντων; οὐ γὰρ δὴ ἁρμονία γέ σοι τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν ᾧ ἀπεικάζεις, ἀλλὰ πρότερον καὶ ἡ λύρα καὶ αἱ χορδαὶ καὶ οἱ φθόγγοι ἔτι ἀνάρμοστοι ὄντες γίγνονται, τελευταῖον δὲ πάντων συνίσταται ἡ ἁρμονία καὶ πρῶτον ἀπόλλυται. οὗτος οὖν σοι ὁ λόγος ἐκείνῳ πῶς συνᾴσεται; οὐδαμῶς, ἔφη ὁ Σιμμίας. καὶ μήν, ἦ δ’ ὅς, πρέπει γε εἴπερ τῳ ἄλλῳ λόγῳ συνῳδῷ εἶναι καὶ τῷ περὶ ἁρμονίας. πρέπει γάρ, ἔφη ὁ Σιμμίας. οὗτος τοίνυν, ἔφη, σοὶ οὐ συνῳδός· ἀλλ’ ὅρα πότερον αἱρῇ τῶν λόγων, τὴν μάθησιν ἀνάμνησιν εἶναι ἢ ψυχὴν ἁρμονίαν; πολὺ μᾶλλον, ἔφη, ἐκεῖνον, ὦ Σώκρατες. ὅδε μὲν γάρ μοι γέγονεν ἄνευ ἀποδείξεως μετὰ εἰκότος τινὸς καὶ εὐπρεπείας, ὅθεν καὶ τοῖς πολλοῖς δοκεῖ ἀνθρώποις· ἐγὼ δὲ τοῖς διὰ τῶν εἰκότων τὰς ἀποδείξεις ποιουμένοις λόγοις σύνοιδα οὖσιν ἀλαζόσιν, καὶ ἄν τις αὐτοὺς μὴ φυλάττηται, εὖ μάλα ἐξαπατῶσι, καὶ ἐν γεωμετρίᾳ καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἄλλοις ἅπασιν. ὁ δὲ περὶ τῆς ἀναμνήσεως καὶ μαθήσεως λόγος δι’ ὑποθέσεως ἀξίας ἀποδέξασθαι εἴρηται. ἐρρήθη γάρ που οὕτως ἡμῶν εἶναι ἡ ψυχὴ καὶ πρὶν εἰς σῶμα ἀφικέσθαι, ὥσπερ αὐτῆς ἐστιν ἡ οὐσία ἔχουσα τὴν ἐπωνυμίαν τὴν τοῦ ὃ ἔστιν ἐγὼ δὲ ταύτην, ὡς ἐμαυτὸν πείθω, ἱκανῶς τε καὶ ὀρθῶς ἀποδέδεγμαι. ἀνάγκη οὖν μοι, ὡς ἔοικε, διὰ ταῦτα μήτε ἐμαυτοῦ μήτε ἄλλου ἀποδέχεσθαι λέγοντος ὡς ψυχή ἐστιν ἁρμονία. τί δέ, ἦ δ’ ὅς, ὦ Σιμμία, τῇδε;