Clitophon

Socrates: Someone was reporting to us recently about Cleitophon, the son of Aristonymus, saying that in a conversation with Lysias he criticized the pastimes spent with Socrates, while praising Thrasymachus’ company to the skies. Cleitophon: Whoever it was, Socrates, did not report to you correctly the words I spoke to Lysias about you. For in some respects I did not praise you, but in others I did. Since you are clearly blaming me, while pretending not to care at all, I would most gladly go through them with you myself, since we happen to be alone, so that you may think less poorly of me. For now, perhaps, you have not heard correctly, and so you appear to be more harshly disposed toward me than you ought to be. But if you grant me free speech, I would most gladly accept and wish to speak.

Socrates: Well, indeed, it would be shameful for me not to tolerate your willingness to benefit me. For it is clear that once I realize in what respects I am worse and in what respects better, I shall practice and pursue the latter, while fleeing from the former with all my strength. Cleitophon: Listen, then. For when I associated with you, Socrates, I was often struck with amazement upon hearing you, and you seemed to me to speak more beautifully than anyone else when you rebuked mankind, like a god from a tragic machine, chanting and saying: “Whither are you drifting, O men? And do you not know that you are doing none of the things you ought to do, you who devote all your zeal to wealth, ensuring that it will be yours, but as for your sons to whom you will hand it down, you neither find teachers of justice for them so that they will know how to use it justly—if indeed it can be taught, and if it is a matter of practice and training, those who will train and practice them sufficiently—nor even before this did you care for yourselves in this way? But seeing that you and your children have sufficiently learned letters, music, and gymnastics—which you indeed believe to be a complete education in virtue—and then nevertheless turn out no less wicked regarding wealth, how is it that you do not despise your current education, nor seek those who will put an end to this uncultured state of yours? And yet, because of this discord and negligence, and not because of lack of rhythm between foot and lyre, brother fights with brother, and cities with cities in discord and disharmony, and waging war they do and suffer the ultimate evils. But you say that the unjust are unjust not through lack of education or ignorance, but voluntarily, and then again you dare to say that injustice is shameful and hateful to the gods. How then could anyone voluntarily choose such an evil? ‘He who is overcome by pleasures,’ you say. Is this not also involuntary, if indeed conquering is voluntary? So that by every argument, committing injustice is shown to be involuntary, and every man individually, and all cities together in public, must take more care than they do now.” When I hear you saying these things often, Socrates, I marvel at them and praise them wonderfully. And again, when you say what follows this: that those who train their bodies but neglect their souls do something of this sort—neglecting that which will rule, while being zealous about that which will be ruled. And when you say that for anyone who does not know how to use a thing, it is better to leave its use alone; if indeed someone does not know how to use his eyes, or ears, or his whole body, it is better for him neither to hear nor to see, nor to make any other use of his body, than to use it in any way whatsoever.