§3.1282aὁμοίως δὲ τοῦτο καὶ περὶ τὰς ἄλλας ἐμπειρίας καὶ τέχνας.
Similarly, this also applies to the other skills and arts.
ὥσπερ οὖν ἰατρὸν δεῖ διδόναι τὰς εὐθύνας ἐν ἰατροῖς, οὕτω καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους ἐν τοῖς ὁμοίοις.
Just as, therefore, a doctor must submit to audit among doctors, so too must the others among their peers.
ἰατρὸς δʼ ὅ τε δημιουργὰς καὶ ὁ ἀρχιτεκτονικὸς καὶ τρίτος ὁ πεπαιδευμένος περὶ τὴν τέχνην (εἰσὶ γάρ τινες τοιοῦτοι καὶ περὶ πάσας ὡς εἰπεῖν τὰς τέχνας)·
And a doctor is the practitioner, the master-craftsman, and thirdly, the one who has been educated in the art (for there are indeed some such people regarding almost all the arts, so to speak).
ἀποδίδομεν δὲ τὸ κρίνειν οὐδὲν ἧττον τοῖς πεπαιδευμένοις ἢ τοῖς εἰδόσιν.
And we assign the task of judging no less to those who have been educated than to those who know.
ἔπειτα καὶ περὶ τὴν αἵρεσιν τὸν αὐτὸν ἂν δόξειεν ἔχειν τρόπον.
Next, regarding election too, the same would seem to hold true.
καὶ γὰρ τὸ ἑλέσθαι ὀρθῶς τῶν εἰδότων ἔργον ἐστίν, οἷον γεωμέτρην τε τῶν γεωμετρικῶν καὶ κυβερνήτην τῶν κυβερνητικῶν.
For indeed, to choose correctly is the task of those who know, as for example choosing a geometrician is the task of those skilled in geometry, and a helmsman of those skilled in navigation.
εἰ γὰρ καὶ περὶ ἐνίων ἔργων καὶ τεχνῶν μετέχουσι καὶ τῶν ἰδιωτῶν τινες, ἀλλʼ οὔ τι τῶν εἰδότων γε μᾶλλον.
For even if some laymen also participate regarding certain works and arts, they certainly do not do so more than those who know.
ὥστε κατὰ μὲν τοῦτον τὸν λόγον οὐκ ἂν εἴη τὸ πλῆθος ποιητέον κύριον οὔτε τῶν ἀρχαιρεσιῶν οὔτε τῶν εὐθυνῶν.
So, according to this argument, the multitude should not be made sovereign over either the election of magistrates or their audits.
ἀλλʼ ἴσως οὐ πάντα ταῦτα λέγεται καλῶς διά τε τὸν πάλαι λόγον, ἂν ᾖ τὸ πλῆθος μὴ λίαν ἀνδραποδῶδες (ἔσται γὰρ ἕκαστος μὲν χείρων κριτὴς τῶν εἰδότων, ἅπαντες δὲ συνελθόντες ἢ βελτίους ἢ οὐ χείρους), καὶ ὅτι περὶ ἐνίων οὔτε μόνον ὁ ποιήσας οὔτʼ ἄριστʼ ἂν κρίνειεν, ὅσων τἆργα γινώσκουσι καὶ οἱ μὴ ἔχοντες τὴν τέχνην, οἷον οἰκίαν οὐ μόνον ἐστὶ γνῶναι τοῦ ποιήσαντος, ἀλλὰ καὶ βέλτιον ὁ χρώμενος αὐτῇ κρινεῖ (χρῆται δʼ ὁ οἰκονόμος), καὶ πηδάλιον κυβερνήτης τέκτονος, καὶ θοίνην ὁ δαιτυμὼν ἀλλʼ οὐχ ὁ μάγειρος.
But perhaps not all of these things are stated correctly, both because of the previous argument, provided that the multitude is not too slavish (for each individual will indeed be a worse judge than the experts, but all when gathered together will be either better or not worse), and because regarding certain things neither the maker alone nor the maker best would judge, in cases where those who do not possess the art also know the works, for example, to understand a house is not the task of the builder alone, but the user will judge it even better (and the manager of the household is the user), and a helmsman will judge a rudder better than a carpenter, and the guest, not the cook, will judge a feast.
ταύτην μὲν οὖν τὴν ἀπορίαν τάχα δόξειέ τις ἂν οὕτω λύειν ἱκανῶς· ἄλλη δʼ ἐστὶν ἐχομένη ταύτης.
This difficulty, then, one might perhaps seem to resolve sufficiently in this way; but there is another difficulty following upon this.
δοκεῖ γὰρ ἄτοπον εἶναι τὸ μειζόνων εἶναι κυρίους τοὺς φαύλους τῶν ἐπιεικῶν, αἱ δʼ εὔθυναι καὶ αἱ τῶν ἀρχῶν αἱρέσεις εἰσὶ μέγιστον· ἃς ἐν ἐνίαις πολιτείαις, ὥσπερ εἴρηται, τοῖς δήμοις ἀποδιδόασιν· ἡ γὰρ ἐκκλησία κυρία πάντων τῶν τοιούτων ἐστίν.
For it seems absurd that worthless people should be sovereign over greater matters than the respectable citizens, yet audits and elections of magistrates are of the greatest importance, and in some constitutions, as has been said, they assign these to the populace; for the assembly is sovereign over all such matters.
καίτοι τῆς μὲν ἐκκλησίας μετέχουσι καὶ βουλεύουσι καὶ δικάζουσιν ἀπὸ μικρῶν τιμημάτων καὶ τῆς τυχούσης ἡλικίας, ταμιεύουσι δὲ καὶ στρατηγοῦσι καὶ τὰς μεγίστας ἀρχὰς ἄρχουσιν ἀπὸ μεγάλων.
And yet people participate in the assembly, deliberate, and judge on the basis of low property qualifications and of any age, while they serve as treasurers, generals, and hold the greatest offices on the basis of high qualifications.
ὁμοίως δή τις ἂν λύσειε καὶ ταύτην τὴν ἀπορίαν. ἴσως γὰρ ἔχει καὶ ταῦτʼ ὀρθῶς.
One might indeed resolve this difficulty in a similar way; for perhaps these arrangements too are correct.
οὐ γὰρ ὁ δικαστὴς οὐδʼ ὁ βουλευτὴς οὐδʼ ὁ ἐκκλησιαστὴς ἄρχων ἐστίν, ἀλλὰ τὸ δικαστήριον καὶ ἡ βουλὴ καὶ ὁ δῆμος· τῶν δὲ ῥηθέντων ἕκαστος μόριόν ἐστι τούτων (λέγω δὲ μόριον τὸν βουλευτὴν καὶ τὸν ἐκκλησιαστὴν καὶ τὸν δικαστήν)· ὥστε δικαίως κύριον μειζόνων τὸ πλῆθος· ἐκ γὰρ πολλῶν ὁ δῆμος καὶ ἡ βουλὴ καὶ τὸ δικαστήριον.
For it is not the individual judge, nor the councilor, nor the assemblyman who is the ruler, but the court, the council, and the populace; and each of those mentioned is a part of these (and by 'part' I mean the councilor, the assemblyman, and the judge); so that the multitude is justly sovereign over greater matters, for the populace, the council, and the court are composed of many.
καὶ τὸ τίμημα δὲ πλεῖον τὸ πάντων τούτων ἢ τὸ τῶν καθʼ ἕνα καὶ κατʼ ὀλίγους μεγάλας ἀρχὰς ἀρχόντων.
And the property qualification of all these together is greater than that of those who individually or in small numbers hold great offices.
ταῦτα μὲν οὖν διωρίσθω τοῦτον τὸν τρόπον·
Let these matters, then, be defined in this way: