Plato · Hippias Minor §374

Voluntary Deficiencies in Bodily Actions and Organs

Passage 7 of 8 · Greek

Summary

Socrates and Hippias agree through concrete examples, including bodily movements (running, wrestling), physical organs (feet, eyes), and tools (rudders), that what performs badly voluntarily is better than what does so involuntarily.

§374ΣΩ. ἐν δρόμῳ μὲν ἄρα πονηρότερος ὁ ἄκων κακὰ ἐργαζόμενος ἢ ὁ ἑκών;

SO.: In running, then, is the one who does bad things involuntarily worse than the one who does so voluntarily?

ΙΠ. ἐν δρόμῳ γε.

HIP.: In running, at least.

ΣΩ. τί δʼ ἐν πάλῃ;

SO.: And what about wrestling?

πότερος παλαιστὴς ἀμείνων, ὁ ἑκὼν πίπτων ἢ ὁ ἄκων;

Which wrestler is better, the one who falls voluntarily or the one who falls involuntarily?

ΙΠ. ὁ ἑκών, ὡς ἔοικεν.

HIP.: The one who does so voluntarily, as it seems.

ΣΩ. πονηρότερον δὲ καὶ αἴσχιον ἐν πάλῃ τὸ πίπτειν ἢ τὸ καταβάλλειν;

SO.: And is falling in wrestling worse and more shameful than throwing someone down?

ΙΠ. τὸ πίπτειν.

HIP.: Falling is.

ΣΩ. καὶ ἐν πάλῃ ἄρα ὁ ἑκὼν τὰ πονηρὰ καὶ αἰσχρὰ ἐργαζόμενος βελτίων παλαιστὴς ἢ ὁ ἄκων.

SO.: And in wrestling, then, the one who does bad and shameful things voluntarily is a better wrestler than the one who does so involuntarily.

ΙΠ. ἔοικεν.

HIP.: It seems so.

ΣΩ. τί δὲ ἐν τῇ ἄλλῃ πάσῃ τῇ τοῦ σώματος χρείᾳ;

SO.: And what about all other uses of the body?

οὐχ ὁ βελτίων τὸ σῶμα δύναται ἀμφότερα ἐργάζεσθαι, καὶ τὰ ἰσχυρὰ καὶ τὰ ἀσθενῆ, καὶ τὰ αἰσχρὰ καὶ τὰ καλά· ὥστε ὅταν κατὰ τὸ σῶμα πονηρὰ ἐργάζηται, ἑκὼν ἐργάζεται ὁ βελτίων τὸ σῶμα, ὁ δὲ πονηρότερος ἄκων;

Does not the one with the better body have the power to do both, strong things and weak things, and shameful things and fine things; so that whenever he does bad things with respect to the body, the one with the better body does so voluntarily, whereas the worse one does so involuntarily?

ΙΠ. ἔοικεν καὶ τὰ κατὰ τὴν ἰσχὺν οὕτως ἔχειν.

HIP.: It seems that matters regarding strength are also like this.

ΣΩ. τί δὲ κατʼ εὐσχημοσύνην, ὦ Ἱππία;

SO.: And what about gracefulness, Hippias?

οὐ τοῦ βελτίονος σώματός ἐστιν ἑκόντος τὰ αἰσχρὰ καὶ πονηρὰ σχήματα σχηματίζειν, τοῦ δὲ πονηροτέρου ἄκοντος; ἢ πῶς σοι δοκεῖ;

Is it not the part of the better body to assume ugly and bad postures voluntarily, and of the worse body involuntarily? Or how does it seem to you?

ΙΠ. οὕτως.

HIP.: So it is.

ΣΩ. καὶ ἀσχημοσύνη ἄρα ἡ μὲν ἑκούσιος πρὸς ἀρετῆς ἐστιν, ἡ δὲ ἀκούσιος πρὸς πονηρίας σώματος.

SO.: And so voluntary gracelessness belongs to the excellence, while involuntary gracelessness belongs to the badness of the body.

ΙΠ. φαίνεται.

HIP.: So it appears.

ΣΩ. τί δὲ φωνῆς πέρι λέγεις;

SO.: And what do you say about voice?

ποτέραν φῂς εἶναι βελτίω, τὴν ἑκουσίως ἀπᾴδουσαν ἢ τὴν ἀκουσίως;

Which do you say is better, the one that sings out of tune voluntarily, or the one that does so involuntarily?

ΙΠ. τὴν ἑκουσίως.

HIP.: The one voluntarily.

ΣΩ. μοχθηροτέραν δὲ τὴν ἀκουσίως;

SO.: And the involuntary one is more wretched?

ΙΠ. ναί.

HIP.: Yes.

ΣΩ. δέξαιο δʼ ἂν πότερον τἀγαθὰ κεκτῆσθαι ἢ τὰ κακά;

SO.: And which would you prefer to possess: good things or bad things?

ΙΠ. τἀγαθά.

HIP.: Good things.

ΣΩ. πότερον οὖν ἂν δέξαιο πόδας κεκτῆσθαι ἑκουσίως χωλαίνοντας ἢ ἀκουσίως;

SO.: Would you then prefer to possess feet that limp voluntarily, or involuntarily?

ΙΠ. ἑκουσίως.

HIP.: Voluntarily.

ΣΩ. χωλεία δὲ ποδῶν οὐχὶ πονηρία καὶ ἀσχημοσύνη ἐστίν;

SO.: And is lameness of feet not a defect and ugliness?

ΙΠ. ναί.

HIP.: Yes.

ΣΩ. τί δέ;

SO.: And what of dim-sightedness?

ἀμβλυωπία οὐ πονηρία ὀφθαλμῶν;

Is it not a defect of eyes?

ΙΠ. ναί.

HIP.: Yes.

ΣΩ. ποτέρους οὖν ἂν βούλοιο ὀφθαλμοὺς κεκτῆσθαι καὶ ποτέροις συνεῖναι;

SO.: Which eyes then would you wish to possess and to live with?

οἷς ἑκὼν ἄν τις ἀμβλυώττοι καὶ παρορῴη ἢ οἷς ἄκων;

Those with which one would be dim-sighted and see incorrectly voluntarily, or those with which one would do so involuntarily?

ΙΠ. οἷς ἑκών.

HIP.: Those with which one would do so voluntarily.

ΣΩ. βελτίω ἄρα ἥγησαι τῶν σαυτοῦ τὰ ἑκουσίως πονηρὰ ἐργαζόμενα ἢ τὰ ἀκουσίως;

SO.: Then do you consider those of your own parts that work badly voluntarily to be better than those that do so involuntarily?

ΙΠ. τὰ γοῦν τοιαῦτα.

HIP.: Such things, at least.

ΣΩ. οὐκοῦν πάντα, οἷον καὶ ὦτα καὶ ῥῖνας καὶ στόμα καὶ πάσας τὰς αἰσθήσεις, εἷς λόγος συνέχει, τὰς μὲν ἀκόντως κακὰ ἐργαζομένας ἀκτήτους εἶναι ὡς πονηρὰς οὔσας, τὰς δὲ ἑκουσίως κτητὰς ὡς ἀγαθὰς οὔσας.

SO.: Then does not a single principle hold together all things, such as ears and nose and mouth and all the senses, that those which work badly involuntarily are not to be possessed because they are bad, whereas those which do so voluntarily are to be possessed because they are good?

ΙΠ. ἔμοιγε δοκεῖ.

HIP.: So it seems to me.

ΣΩ. τί δέ;

SO.: And what about tools?

ὀργάνων ποτέρων βελτίων ἡ κοινωνία, οἷς ἑκών τις κακὰ ἐργάζεται ἢ οἷς ἄκων;

Which partnership is better: with those with which one works badly voluntarily or involuntarily?

οἷον πηδάλιον ᾧ ἄκων κακῶς τις κυβερνήσει βέλτιον ἢ ᾧ ἑκών;

For example, is a rudder with which one will steer badly involuntarily better, or one with which one does so voluntarily?

ΙΠ. ὧι ἑκών.

HIP.: The one with which voluntarily.

ΣΩ. οὐ καὶ τόξον ὡσαύτως καὶ λύρα καὶ αὐλοὶ καὶ τἆλλα σύμπαντα;

SO.: Is it not the same indeed for a bow, and a lyre, and flutes, and all other things?

Notes

374bτοῦ βελτίονος σώματός ἐστιν — The genitive of characteristic (a development of the possessive genitive) with ἐστί, meaning "it is characteristic of..." or "it is the part of...". Here, it indicates that assuming ugly postures voluntarily "is characteristic of the better body."
374cπρὸς ἀρετῆς ἐστιν — The preposition πρός with the genitive case, shifting from the spatial meaning "from the side of" to "belonging to," "on the side of," or "conducive to." Here, it expresses that voluntary gracelessness "belongs to the side of (or is conducive to) bodily excellence."
374dοἷς ἑκὼν ἄν τις ἀμβλυώττοι καὶ παρορῴη ἢ οἷς ἄκων; — The dative relative pronoun οἷς functions as the dative of instrument ("with which [eyes]"). In the relative clause, ἄν with the optative (ἀμβλυώττοι, παρορῴη) is used to express potentiality ("with which one might/would be dim-sighted and see incorrectly").
374eτὰς μὲν ἀκόντως κακὰ ἐργαζομένας ἀκτήτους εἶναι ὡς πονηρὰς οὔσας — An accusative with infinitive (A.C.I.) construction dependent on the main verb συνέχει ("holds together" / "encompasses"). τὰς μὲν ... ἐργαζομένας is the subject accusative, and ἀκτήτους εἶναι is the predicate infinitive. The combination of ὡς with the participle (ὡς πονηρὰς οὔσας) expresses a subjective or alleged reason ("on the ground of being bad").

Cite this passage

Plato, Hippias Minor §374. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0059.tlg026.humanitext-grc2:374

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