§10δεῖ τοίνυν τὸν παῖδα τὸν ἐλεύθερον μηδενὸς μηδὲ τῶν ἄλλων τῶν καλουμένων ἐγκυκλίων παιδευμάτων μήτʼ ἀνήκοον μήτʼ ἀθέατον ἐᾶν εἶναι, ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν ἐκ παραδρομῆς μαθεῖν ὡσπερεὶ γεύματος ἕνεκεν ἐν ἅπασι γὰρ τὸ τέλειον ἀδύνατον, τὴν δὲ φιλοσοφίαν πρεσβεύειν.
Therefore, one must not allow a free-born child to be either unheard or unseen in any of the other so-called general studies, but they should learn these in passing, as if for the sake of a taste—for perfection in all things is impossible—but they should hold philosophy in highest honor.
ἔχω δὲ διʼ εἰκόνος παραστῆσαι τὴν ἐμαυτοῦ γνώμην· ὥσπερ γὰρ περιπλεῦσαι μὲν πολλὰς πόλεις καλόν, ἐνοικῆσαι δὲ τῇ κρατίστῃ χρήσιμον ἀστείως δὲ καὶ Βίων ἔλεγεν ὁ φιλόσοφος ὅτι ὥσπερ οἱ μνηστῆρες τῇ Πηνελόπῃ πλησιάζειν μὴ δυνάμενοι ταῖς ταύτης ἐμίγνυντο θεραπαίναις, οὕτω καὶ οἱ φιλοσοφίας μὴ δυνάμενοι κατατυχεῖν ἐν τοῖς ἄλλοις παιδεύμασι τοῖς οὐδενὸς ἀξίοις ἑαυτοὺς κατασκελετεύουσι.
And I can present my opinion through an image: for just as to sail around many cities is fine, but to dwell in the best is useful. And the philosopher Bion also said wittily that just as the suitors, being unable to approach Penelope, associated with her maidservants, so also those who are unable to attain philosophy wear themselves to a shadow in other studies of no value.
διὸ δεῖ τῆς ἄλλης παιδείας ὥσπερ κεφάλαιον ποιεῖν τὴν φιλοσοφίαν.
Therefore, one must make philosophy, as it were, the crown of the rest of education.
περὶ μὲν γὰρ τὴν τοῦ σώματος ἐπιμέλειαν διττὰς εὗρον ἐπιστήμας οἱ ἄνθρωποι, τὴν ἰατρικὴν καὶ τὴν γυμναστικήν, ὧν ἡ μὲν τὴν ὑγίειαν, ἡ δὲ τὴν εὐεξίαν ἐντίθησι.
For concerning the care of the body, men have found two sciences, medicine and gymnastics, of which the former implants health, and the latter good condition.
τῶν δὲ τῆς ψυχῆς ἀρρωστημάτων καὶ παθῶν ἡ φιλοσοφία μόνη φάρμακόν ἐστι.
But for the illnesses and passions of the soul, philosophy alone is the medicine.
διὰ γὰρ ταύτην ἔστι καὶ μετὰ ταύτης γνῶναι τί τὸ καλὸν τί τὸ αἰσχρόν, τί τὸ δίκαιον τί τὸ ἄδικον, τί τὸ συλλήβδην αἱρετὸν τί τὸ φευκτόν· πῶς θεοῖς πῶς γονεῦσι πῶς πρεσβυτέροις πῶς νόμοις πῶς ἀλλοτρίοις πῶς ἄρχουσι πῶς φίλοις πῶς γυναιξὶ πῶς τέκνοις πῶς οἰκέταις χρηστέον ἐστί· ὅτι δεῖ θεοὺς μὲν σέβεσθαι, γονέας δὲ τιμᾶν, πρεσβυτέρους αἰδεῖσθαι, νόμοις πειθαρχεῖν, ἄρχουσιν ὑπείκειν, φίλους ἀγαπᾶν, πρὸς γυναῖκας σωφρονεῖν, τέκνων στερκτικοὺς εἶναι, δούλους μὴ περιυβρίζειν τὸ δὲ μέγιστον, μήτʼ ἐν ταῖς εὐπραγίαις περιχαρεῖς μήτʼ ἐν ταῖς συμφοραῖς περιλύπους ὑπάρχειν, μήτʼ ἐν ταῖς ἡδοναῖς ἐκλύτους εἶναι μήτʼ ἐν ταῖς ὀργαῖς ἐκπαθεῖς καὶ θηριώδεις.
For through this and with this, it is possible to know what is noble and what is base, what is just and what is unjust, what is, in short, to be chosen and what to be avoided; how one must behave toward gods, toward parents, toward elders, toward laws, toward strangers, toward rulers, toward friends, toward wives, toward children, toward servants: namely, that one must worship gods, honor parents, respect elders, obey laws, yield to rulers, love friends, show self-control toward wives, be affectionate to children, and not abuse slaves. And greatest of all, to be neither overjoyed in good fortune nor over-sorrowful in misfortunes, neither dissolute in pleasures nor passionate and beastly in anger.
ἅπερ ἐγὼ πάντων τῶν ἐκ φιλοσοφίας περιγιγνομένων ἀγαθῶν πρεσβύτατα κρίνω.
These things I judge to be the most sovereign of all the goods arising from philosophy.
τὸ μὲν γὰρ εὐγενῶς εὐτυχεῖν ἀνδρός, τὸ δʼ ἀνεπιφθόνως εὐηνίου ἀνθρώπου, τὸ δὲ τοῖς λογισμοῖς περιεῖναι τῶν ἡδονῶν σοφοῦ, τὸ δʼ ὀργῆς κατακρατεῖν ἀνδρὸς οὐ τοῦ τυχόντος ἐστί.
For to enjoy good fortune nobly is the part of a man, to receive it without envy is the part of a well-bred person, to overcome pleasures by reason is the part of a wise man, and to master anger is the part of no ordinary man.
τελείους δʼ ἀνθρώπους ἡγοῦμαι τοὺς δυναμένους τὴν πολιτικὴν δύναμιν μῖξαι καὶ κεράσαι τῇ φιλοσοφίᾳ, καὶ δυεῖν ὄντοιν μεγίστοιν ἀγαθοῖν ἐπηβόλους ὑπάρχειν ὑπολαμβάνω, τοῦ τε κοινωφελοῦς βίου πολιτευομένους, τοῦ τʼ ἀκύμονος καὶ γαληνοῦ, διατρίβοντας περὶ φιλοσοφίαν.
And I consider those men to be complete who are able to mix and blend political power with philosophy, and I suppose them to possess two of the greatest goods: both living a public-spirited life as citizens, and spending their time in philosophy, living a wave-less and calm life.
τριῶν γὰρ ὄντων βίων ὧν ὁ μέν ἐστι πρακτικὸς ὁ δὲ θεωρητικὸς ὁ δʼ ἀπολαυστικός, ὁ μὲν ἔκλυτος καὶ δοῦλος τῶν ἡδονῶν ζῳώδης καὶ μικροπρεπής ἐστιν, ὁ δὲ θεωρητικὸς τοῦ πρακτικοῦ διαμαρτάνων ἀνωφελής, ὁ δὲ πρακτικὸς ἀμοιρήσας φιλοσοφίας ἄμουσος καὶ πλημμελής.
For there being three lives, of which one is active, another contemplative, and another pleasurable, the one that is dissolute and a slave to pleasures is beast-like and mean, while the contemplative life that fails of the active is useless, and the active life that has no share of philosophy is uncultured and error-prone.
πειρατέον οὖν εἰς δύναμιν καὶ τὰ κοινὰ πράττειν καὶ τῆς φιλοσοφίας ἀντιλαμβάνεσθαι κατὰ τὸ παρεῖκον τῶν καιρῶν.
One must, therefore, endeavor to the best of one's power both to manage public affairs and to lay hold of philosophy, as the opportunity of the times allows.
οὕτως ἐπολιτεύσατο Περικλῆς, οὕτως Ἀρχύτας ὁ Ταραντῖνος, οὕτω Δίων ὁ Συρακόσιος, οὕτως Ἐπαμεινώνδας ὁ Θηβαῖος, ὧν ἅτερος Πλάτωνος ἐγένετο συνουσιαστής.
In this way Pericles managed public affairs, in this way Archytas of Tarentum, in this way Dion of Syracuse, in this way Epaminondas of Thebes, of whom one was an associate of Plato.
καὶ περὶ μὲν παιδείας οὐκ οἶδʼ ὅτι δεῖ πλείονα λέγοντα διατρίβειν πρὸς δὲ τοῖς εἰρημένοις χρήσιμον, μᾶλλον δὲ ἀναγκαῖόν ἐστι μηδὲ τῆς τῶν παλαιῶν συγγραμμάτων κτήσεως ὀλιγώρως ἔχειν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τούτων ποιεῖσθαι συλλογὴν κατὰ τὸ γεωργῶδες.
And concerning education, I do not know why I must spend more time speaking. But in addition to what has been said, it is useful, or rather necessary, not to be negligent of the acquisition of ancient writings, but to make a collection of these in the manner of husbandry.
τὸν γὰρ αὐτὸν τρόπον ὄργανον τῆς παιδείας ἡ χρῆσις τῶν βιβλίων ἐστί, καὶ ἀπὸ πηγῆς τὴν ἐπιστήμην τηρεῖν συμβέβηκεν.
For in the same way, the use of books is an instrument of education, and it happens that knowledge is kept as if from a spring.