Euthydemus

​SOCRATES: “And what about your art, farming? Ruling all that it rules, what does it produce? Would you not say it provides us with food from the earth?” CRITO: “I would.” SOCRATES: “And what about the kingly art, ruling all that it rules? What does it produce? Perhaps you are not at all well-provided with an answer.” CRITO: “By Zeus, indeed I am not, Socrates.” SOCRATES: “For neither are we, Crito. But at least you know this much, that if indeed this is the one we are seeking, it must be useful.” CRITO: “Quite so.” SOCRATES: “Then must it not hand over some good to us?” CRITO: “Necessarily, Socrates.” SOCRATES: “And yet, I suppose Cleinias and I agreed with each other that good is nothing other than some knowledge.” CRITO: “Yes, so you were saying.” SOCRATES: “Therefore, as for the other works, which someone might say belong to the political art—and these would probably be many, such as making the citizens wealthy and free and free from faction—all these appeared to be neither bad nor good, but it had to make them wise and impart knowledge, if indeed this was going to be the one that benefits and makes them happy.” CRITO: “That is so; at any rate, it was so agreed by you then, as you reported the conversation.” SOCRATES: “Does the kingly art, then, make human beings wise and good?” CRITO: “For what prevents it, Socrates?” SOCRATES: “But does it make all of them good, and in all things? And is it the one that hands over every knowledge, shoemaking and carpentry and all the others?” CRITO: “I for one do not think so, Socrates.” SOCRATES: “But then what knowledge? And for what shall we use it? For it must not be the producer of any of the works that are neither bad nor good, and it must hand over no other knowledge than itself. Let us say then, what on earth is this, and for what shall we use it? Do you wish us to say, Crito, that it is the one by which we shall make others good?” CRITO: “Quite so.” SOCRATES: “And in what respect will they be good for us and for what useful? Or shall we still say that they will make others good, and those others still others? But in what respect on earth they are good nowhere appears to us, since indeed we discredited the works said to belong to the political art, but absolutely, as the saying goes, ‘Corinthus son of Zeus’ happens, and just as I was saying, we are in need of the same or even more to know what on earth is that knowledge which will make us happy?” CRITO: “By Zeus, Socrates, you have indeed arrived at a great difficulty, as it seems.”