§249ΞΕ. τί δὲ πρὸς Διός;
STR.
ὡς ἀληθῶς κίνησιν καὶ ζωὴν καὶ ψυχὴν καὶ φρόνησιν ἦ ῥᾳδίως πεισθησόμεθα τῷ παντελῶς ὄντι μὴ παρεῖναι, μηδὲ ζῆν αὐτὸ μηδὲ φρονεῖν, ἀλλὰ σεμνὸν καὶ ἅγιον, νοῦν οὐκ ἔχον, ἀκίνητον ἑστὸς εἶναι;
But by Zeus, shall we be so easily persuaded that motion, life, soul, and wisdom are really not present to that which completely is, and that it neither lives nor thinks, but remains standing, motionless, solemn and holy, devoid of mind?
ΘΕΑΙ. δεινὸν μεντἄν, ὦ ξένε, λόγον συγχωροῖμεν.
THEAE. That would be a terrible argument to concede, stranger.
ΞΕ. ἀλλὰ νοῦν μὲν ἔχειν, ζωὴν δὲ μὴ φῶμεν;
STR. But shall we say that it has mind, but not life?
ΘΕΑΙ. καὶ πῶς;
THEAE. How could that be?
ΞΕ. ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν ἀμφότερα ἐνόντʼ αὐτῷ λέγομεν, οὐ μὴν ἐν ψυχῇ γε φήσομεν αὐτὸ ἔχειν αὐτά;
STR. But while saying that both of these are in it, shall we deny that it has them in a soul?
ΘΕΑΙ. καὶ τίνʼ ἂν ἕτερον ἔχοι τρόπον;
THEAE. And what other way could there be?
ΞΕ. ἀλλὰ δῆτα νοῦν μὲν καὶ ζωὴν καὶ ψυχὴν ἔχειν, ἀκίνητον μέντοι τὸ παράπαν ἔμψυχον ὂν ἑστάναι;
STR. But then, having mind, life, and soul, does it, although ensouled, remain standing entirely motionless?
ΘΕΑΙ. πάντα ἔμοιγε ἄλογα ταῦτʼ εἶναι φαίνεται.
THEAE. All of this seems completely unreasonable to me.
ΞΕ. καὶ τὸ κινούμενον δὴ καὶ κίνησιν συγχωρητέον ὡς ὄντα.
STR. Then we must concede that both that which is moved and motion are things that are.
ΘΕΑΙ. πῶς δʼ οὔ;
THEAE. Of course.
ΞΕ. συμβαίνει δʼ οὖν, ὦ Θεαίτητε, ἀκινήτων τε ὄντων νοῦν μηδενὶ περὶ μηδενὸς εἶναι μηδαμοῦ.
STR. It follows then, Theaetetus, that if all things are motionless, there is no mind anywhere, for anyone, about anything.
ΘΕΑΙ. κομιδῇ μὲν οὖν.
THEAE. Precisely so.
ΞΕ. καὶ μὴν ἐὰν αὖ φερόμενα καὶ κινούμενα πάντʼ εἶναι συγχωρῶμεν, καὶ τούτῳ τῷ λόγῳ ταὐτὸν τοῦτο ἐκ τῶν ὄντων ἐξαιρήσομεν.
STR. And yet, on the other hand, if we concede that all things are in motion and transit, by this argument too we shall eliminate this same thing from things that are.
ΘΕΑΙ. πῶς;
THEAE. How?
ΞΕ. τὸ κατὰ ταὐτὰ καὶ ὡσαύτως καὶ περὶ τὸ αὐτὸ δοκεῖ σοι χωρὶς στάσεως γενέσθαι ποτʼ ἄν;
STR. Do you think that being in the same state, in the same way, and about the same thing, could ever come to be without rest?
ΘΕΑΙ. οὐδαμῶς.
THEAE. In no way.
ΞΕ. τί δʼ;
STR. And what?
ἄνευ τούτων νοῦν καθορᾷς ὄντα ἢ γενόμενον ἂν καὶ ὁπουοῦν;
Without these, do you see mind existing or coming to be anywhere at all?
ΘΕΑΙ. ἥκιστα.
THEAE. Least of all.
ΞΕ. καὶ μὴν πρός γε τοῦτον παντὶ λόγῳ μαχετέον, ὃς ἂν ἐπιστήμην ἢ φρόνησιν ἢ νοῦν ἀφανίζων ἰσχυρίζηται περί τινος ὁπῃοῦν.
STR. And indeed, we must fight with every argument against anyone who, while doing away with knowledge, wisdom, or mind, makes a strong assertion about anything in any way.
ΘΕΑΙ. σφόδρα γε.
THEAE. Most certainly.
ΞΕ. τῷ δὴ φιλοσόφῳ καὶ ταῦτα μάλιστα τιμῶντι πᾶσα, ὡς ἔοικεν, ἀνάγκη διὰ ταῦτα μήτε τῶν ἓν ἢ καὶ τὰ πολλὰ εἴδη λεγόντων τὸ πᾶν ἑστηκὸς ἀποδέχεσθαι, τῶν τε αὖ πανταχῇ τὸ ὂν κινούντων μηδὲ τὸ παράπαν ἀκούειν, ἀλλὰ κατὰ τὴν τῶν παίδων εὐχήν, ὅσα ἀκίνητα καὶ κεκινημένα, τὸ ὄν τε καὶ τὸ πᾶν συναμφότερα λέγειν.
STR. To the philosopher, then, who values these things most of all, there is, as it seems, an absolute necessity for these reasons neither to accept the assertion that the universe is at rest from those who speak of one or even many forms, nor, on the other hand, to listen at all to those who move being in every way; rather, he must, according to the children's prayer, say that whatever is motionless and moved, being and the universe, are both together.
ΘΕΑΙ. ἀληθέστατα.
THEAE. Most true.
ΞΕ. τί οὖν;
STR. What then?
ἆρʼ οὐκ ἐπιεικῶς ἤδη φαινόμεθα περιειληφέναι τῷ λόγῳ τὸ ὄν;
Do we not now seem to have fairly well grasped being in our argument?
ΘΕΑΙ. πάνυ μὲν οὖν.
THEAE. Yes, indeed.
ΞΕ. βαβαὶ μέντʼ ἂν ἄρα, ὦ Θεαίτητε, ὥς μοι δοκοῦμεν νῦν αὐτοῦ γνώσεσθαι πέρι τὴν ἀπορίαν τῆς σκέψεως.
STR. Ah, but then, Theaetetus, how we seem to be about to know the difficulty of our investigation concerning it!
ΘΕΑΙ. πῶς αὖ καὶ τί τοῦτʼ εἴρηκας;
THEAE. How so, and why do you say this?
ΞΕ. ὦ μακάριε, οὐκ ἐννοεῖς ὅτι νῦν ἐσμεν ἐν ἀγνοίᾳ τῇ πλείστῃ περὶ αὐτοῦ, φαινόμεθα δέ τι λέγειν ἡμῖν αὐτοῖς;
STR. My good friend, do you not realize that we are now in the greatest ignorance about it, while we seem to ourselves to be saying something?
ΘΕΑΙ. ἐμοὶ γοῦν·
THEAE.
ὅπῃ δʼ αὖ λελήθαμεν οὕτως ἔχοντες, οὐ πάνυ συνίημι.
To me at least it seems so; but how we have slipped into this state without noticing it, I do not quite understand.
§250ΞΕ. σκόπει δὴ σαφέστερον εἰ τὰ νῦν συνομολογοῦντες δικαίως ἂν ἐπερωτηθεῖμεν ἅπερ αὐτοὶ τότε ἠρωτῶμεν τοὺς λέγοντας εἶναι τὸ πᾶν θερμὸν καὶ ψυχρόν.
STR. Consider then more clearly whether, agreeing to what we do now, we might not justly be asked the very questions we then asked those who say that the universe is the hot and the cold.
ΘΕΑΙ. ποῖα;
THEAE. What sort of questions?
ὑπόμνησόν με.
Remind me.
ΞΕ. πάνυ μὲν οὖν·
STR.
καὶ πειράσομαί γε δρᾶν τοῦτο ἐρωτῶν σὲ καθάπερ ἐκείνους τότε, ἵνα ἅμα τι καὶ προΐωμεν.
Certainly; and I will try to do so by questioning you just as we questioned them then, so that we may at the same time make some progress.
ΘΕΑΙ. ὀρθῶς.
THEAE. Correct.
ΞΕ. εἶεν δή, κίνησιν καὶ στάσιν ἆρʼ οὐκ ἐναντιώτατα λέγεις ἀλλήλοις;
STR. Well then, do you not say that motion and rest are most opposite to one another?
ΘΕΑΙ. πῶς γὰρ οὔ;
THEAE. How could I not?
ΞΕ. καὶ μὴν εἶναί γε ὁμοίως φῂς ἀμφότερα αὐτὰ καὶ ἑκάτερον;
STR. And yet you say that both of them, and each of them, equally exist?
ΘΕΑΙ. φημὶ γὰρ οὖν.
THEAE. Yes, indeed I do.
ΞΕ. ἆρα κινεῖσθαι λέγων ἀμφότερα καὶ ἑκάτερον, ὅταν εἶναι συγχωρῇς;
STR. Do you mean that both and each are in motion when you concede that they exist?
ΘΕΑΙ. οὐδαμῶς.
THEAE. Not at all.
ΞΕ. ἀλλʼ ἑστάναι σημαίνεις λέγων αὐτὰ ἀμφότερα εἶναι;
STR. But do you mean that they are at rest, when you say that both exist?
ΘΕΑΙ. καὶ πῶς;
THEAE. How could that be?
ΞΕ. τρίτον ἄρα τι παρὰ ταῦτα τὸ ὂν ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ τιθείς, ὡς ὑπʼ ἐκείνου τήν τε στάσιν καὶ τὴν κίνησιν περιεχομένην, συλλαβὼν καὶ ἀπιδὼν αὐτῶν πρὸς τὴν τῆς οὐσίας κοινωνίαν, οὕτως εἶναι προσεῖπας ἀμφότερα;
STR. Do you then place being in the soul as a third thing besides these, as though rest and motion were encompassed by it, and grasping them together and looking to their communication with reality, did you thus address both as existing?
ΘΕΑΙ. κινδυνεύομεν ὡς ἀληθῶς τρίτον ἀπομαντεύεσθαί τι τὸ ὄν, ὅταν κίνησιν καὶ στάσιν εἶναι λέγωμεν.
THEAE. We really seem to be divining some third thing, being, when we say that motion and rest exist.
ΞΕ. οὐκ ἄρα κίνησις καὶ στάσις ἐστὶ συναμφότερον τὸ ὂν ἀλλʼ ἕτερον δή τι τούτων.
STR. Being, then, is not motion and rest both together, but something different from them.
ΘΕΑΙ. ἔοικεν.
THEAE. So it seems.
ΞΕ. κατὰ τὴν αὑτοῦ φύσιν ἄρα τὸ ὂν οὔτε ἕστηκεν οὔτε κινεῖται.
STR. According to its own nature, then, being is neither at rest nor in motion.
ΘΕΑΙ. σχεδόν.
THEAE. Almost.
ΞΕ. ποῖ δὴ χρὴ τὴν διάνοιαν ἔτι τρέπειν τὸν βουλόμενον ἐναργές τι περὶ αὐτοῦ παρʼ ἑαυτῷ βεβαιώσασθαι;
STR. Where, then, must one turn one's mind, if one wishes to establish for oneself anything clear about it?
ΘΕΑΙ. ποῖ γάρ;
THEAE. Indeed, where?
ΞΕ. οἶμαι μὲν οὐδαμόσε ἔτι ῥᾴδιον.
STR. I think it is no longer easy to turn anywhere.
εἰ γάρ τι μὴ κινεῖται, πῶς οὐχ ἕστηκεν;
For if something is not in motion, how is it not at rest?
ἢ τὸ μηδαμῶς ἑστὸς πῶς οὐκ αὖ κινεῖται;
Or how is that which is in no way at rest not, in turn, in motion?
τὸ δὲ ὂν ἡμῖν νῦν ἐκτὸς τούτων ἀμφοτέρων ἀναπέφανται.
Yet being has now appeared to us outside of both of these.
ἦ δυνατὸν οὖν τοῦτο;
Is this then possible?
ΘΕΑΙ. πάντων μὲν οὖν ἀδυνατώτατον.
THEAE. On the contrary, it is the most impossible of all things.
ΞΕ. τόδε τοίνυν μνησθῆναι δίκαιον ἐπὶ τούτοις.
STR. It is just, then, to remember this in connection with these things.
ΘΕΑΙ. τὸ ποῖον;
THEAE. What is that?
ΞΕ. ὅτι τοῦ μὴ ὄντος ἐρωτηθέντες τοὔνομα ἐφʼ ὅτι ποτὲ δεῖ φέρειν, πάσῃ συνεσχόμεθα ἀπορίᾳ. μέμνησαι; ΘΕΑΙ. πῶς γὰρ οὔ; ΞΕ. μῶν οὖν ἐν ἐλάττονί τινι νῦν ἐσμεν ἀπορίᾳ περὶ τὸ ὄν; ΘΕΑΙ. ἐμοὶ μέν, ὦ ξένε, εἰ δυνατὸν εἰπεῖν, ἐν πλείονι φαινόμεθα.
STR. That when we were asked to what the name of