Protagoras: Virtues differ like the parts of a face
Socrates: Justice is holy – holiness is first
Existence of folly
Wisdom opposite of folly
To act rightly and advantageously is temperance
To act foolishly is opposite of acting temperately
Foolish actions done by folly
Temperate actions done by temperance
Every opposite has one opposite and no more
That which is done in opposite ways is done by opposites
Folly is the opposite of temperance
Folly is the opposite of wisdom
Two assertions thus far;
True (1) everything has but one opposite
False (2) wisdom is distinct from temperance
And both are parts of virtue
Temperance and wisdom are the same
Protagoras: the first four are the same
But courage is different
Those who have knowledge are more confident
Than those who have no knowledge, and are more
Confident after they have learned than before
The courageous are confident
Nay said Protagoras:
The courageous are the confident but not all the confident are courageous
Pleasure and pain and good and evil
Men err in the choices of P&P and G&E from defect of knowledge
Men are overcome by pleasure and ignorance
No one goes to what he thinks to be dangers, since the lack of self control
Which makes men rush into dangers has been shown to be ignorance
Both the courageous man and the coward go to meet the same thing; that
About which they are confident
The courageous man has no base fear or base confidence
If not base then honorable? True
If honorable, then good? True
Base fears and confidence originate in ignorance
Ignorance of what is and what is not dangerous is cowardice
Wisdom which knows what are and what are not dangers is opposed
To the ignorance of them
The knowledge of that which is and is not dangerous is courage, and
Is opposed to the ignorance of these things
If virtue and knowledge are one and the same then virtue can be taught
Thus, the virtues are One like the face is one.
| Last Updated: 10/19/22 |