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called　Natural　Science；　this　appeared　to　me　to　have　lofty　aims；　as



being　the　science　which　has　to　do　with　the　causes　of　things；　and　which



teaches　why　a　thing　is；　and　is　created　and　destroyed；　and　I　was　always



agitating　myself　with　the　consideration　of　such　questions　as　these：　Is



the　growth　of　animals　the　result　of　some　decay　which　the　hot　and



cold　principle　contracts；　as　some　have　said？　Is　the　blood　the



element　with　which　we　think；　or　the　air；　or　the　fire？　or　perhaps



nothing　of　this　sort…but　the　brain　may　be　the　originating　power　of　the



perceptions　of　hearing　and　sight　and　smell；　and　memory　and　opinion　may



come　from　them；　and　science　may　be　based　on　memory　and　opinion　when　no



longer　in　motion；　but　at　rest。　And　then　I　went　on　to　examine　the　decay



of　them；　and　then　to　the　things　of　heaven　and　earth；　and　at　last　I



concluded　that　I　was　wholly　incapable　of　these　inquiries；　as　I　will



satisfactorily　prove　to　you。　For　I　was　fascinated　by　them　to　such　a



degree　that　my　eyes　grew　blind　to　things　that　I　had　seemed　to



myself；　and　also　to　others；　to　know　quite　well；　and　I　forgot　what　I



had　before　thought　to　be　self…evident；　that　the　growth　of　man　is　the



result　of　eating　and　drinking；　for　when　by　the　digestion　of　food　flesh



is　added　to　flesh　and　bone　to　bone；　and　whenever　there　is　an



aggregation　of　congenial　elements；　the　lesser　bulk　becomes　larger



and　the　small　man　greater。　Was　not　that　a　reasonable　notion？



　　Yes；　said　Cebes；　I　think　so。



　　Well；　but　let　me　tell　you　something　more。　There　was　a　time　when　I



thought　that　I　understood　the　meaning　of　greater　and　less　pretty　well；



and　when　I　saw　a　great　man　standing　by　a　little　one　I　fancied　that　one



was　taller　than　the　other　by　a　head；　or　one　horse　would　appear　to　be



greater　than　another　horse：　and　still　more　clearly　did　I　seem　to



perceive　that　ten　is　two　more　than　eight；　and　that　two　cubits　are　more



than　one；　because　two　is　twice　one。



　　And　what　is　now　your　notion　of　such　matters？　said　Cebes。



　　I　should　be　far　enough　from　imagining；　he　replied；　that　I　knew　the



cause　of　any　of　them；　indeed　I　should；　for　I　cannot　satisfy　myself



that　when　one　is　added　to　one；　the　one　to　which　the　addition　is　made



becomes　two；　or　that　the　two　units　added　together　make　two　by　reason



of　the　addition。　For　I　cannot　understand　how；　when　separated　from



the　other；　each　of　them　was　one　and　not　two；　and　now；　when　they　are



brought　together；　the　mere　juxtaposition　of　them　can　be　the　cause　of



their　becoming　two：　nor　can　I　understand　how　the　division　of　one　is



the　way　to　make　two；　for　then　a　different　cause　would　produce　the　same



effect…as　in　the　former　instance　the　addition　and　juxtaposition　of　one



to　one　was　the　cause　of　two；　in　this　the　separation　and　subtraction　of



one　from　the　other　would　be　the　cause。　Nor　am　I　any　longer　satisfied



that　I　understand　the　reason　why　one　or　anything　else　either　is



generated　or　destroyed　or　is　at　all；　but　I　have　in　my　mind　some



confused　notion　of　another　method；　and　can　never　admit　this。



　　Then　I　heard　someone　who　had　a　book　of　Anaxagoras；　as　he　said；　out



of　which　he　read　that　mind　was　the　disposer　and　cause　of　all；　and　I



was　quite　delighted　at　the　notion　of　this；　which　appeared　admirable；



and　I　said　to　myself：　If　mind　is　the　disposer；　mind　will　dispose　all



for　the　best；　and　put　each　particular　in　the　best　place；　and　I



argued　that　if　anyone　desired　to　find　out　the　cause　of　the



generation　or　destruction　or　existence　of　anything；　he　must　find　out



what　state　of　being　or　suffering　or　doing　was　best　for　that　thing；　and



therefore　a　man　had　only　to　consider　the　best　for　himself　and



others；　and　then　he　would　also　know　the　worse；　for　that　the　same



science　comprised　both。　And　I　rejoiced　to　think　that　I　had　found　in



Anaxagoras　a　teacher　of　the　causes　of　existence　such　as　I　desired；　and



I　imagined　that　he　would　tell　me　first　whether　the　earth　is　flat　or



round；　and　then　he　would　further　explain　the　cause　and　the　necessity



of　this；　and　would　teach　me　the　nature　of　the　best　and　show　that



this　was　best；　and　if　he　said　that　the　earth　was　in　the　centre；　he



would　explain　that　this　position　was　the　best；　and　I　should　be



satisfied　if　this　were　shown　to　me；　and　not　want　any　other　sort　of



cause。　And　I　thought　that　I　would　then　go　and　ask　him　about　the　sun



and　moon　and　stars；　and　that　he　would　explain　to　me　their



comparative　swiftness；　and　their　returnings　and　various　states；　and



how　their　several　affections；　active　and　passive；　were　all　for　the



best。　For　I　could　not　imagine　that　when　he　spoke　of　mind　as　the



disposer　of　them；　he　would　give　any　other　account　of　their　being　as



they　are；　except　that　this　was　best；　and　I　thought　when　he　had



explained　to　me　in　detail　the　cause　of　each　and　the　cause　of　all；　he



would　go　on　to　explain　to　me　what　was　best　for　each　and　what　was



best　for　all。　I　had　hopes　which　I　would　not　have　sold　for　much；　and



I　seized　the　books　and　read　them　as　fast　as　I　could　in　my　eagerness　to



know　the　better　and　the　worse。



　　What　hopes　I　had　formed；　and　how　grievously　was　I　disappointed！　As　I



proceeded；　I　found　my　philosopher　altogether　forsaking　mind　or　any



other　principle　of　order；　but　having　recourse　to　air；　and　ether；　and



water；　and　other　eccentricities。　I　might　compare　him　to　a　person　who



began　by　maintaining　generally　that　mind　is　the　cause　of　the　actions



of　Socrates；　but　who；　when　he　endeavored　to　explain　the　causes　of　my



several　actions　in　detail；　went　on　to　show　that　I　sit　here　because



my　body　is　made　up　of　bones　and　muscles；　and　the　bones；　as　he　would



say；　are　hard　and　have　ligaments　which　divide　them；　and　the　muscles



are　elastic；　and　they　cover　the　bones；　which　have　also　a　covering　or



environment　of　flesh　and　skin　which　contains　them；　and　as　the　bones



are　lifted　at　their　joints　by　the　contraction　or　relaxation　of　the



muscles；　I　am　able　to　bend　my　limbs；　and　this　is　why　I　am　sitting　here



in　a　curved　posture：　that　is　what　he　would　say；　and　he　would　have　a



similar　explanation　of　my　talking　to　you；　which　he　would　attribute



to　sound；　and　air；　and　hearing；　and　he　would　assign　ten　thousand　other



causes　of　the　same　sort；　forgetting　to　mention　the　true　cause；　which



is　that　the　Athenians　have　thought　fit　to　condemn　me；　and



accordingly　I　have　thought　it　better　and　more　right　to　remain　here　and



undergo　my　sentence；　for　I　am　inclined　to　think　that　these　muscles　and



bones　of　mine　would　have　gone　off　to　Megara　or　Boeotia…by　the　dog　of



Egypt　they　would；　if　they　had　been　guided　only　by　their　own　idea　of



what　was　best；　and　if　I　had　not　chosen　as　the　better　and　nobler



part；　instead　of　playing　truant　and　running　away；　to　undergo　any



punishment　which　the　State　inflicts。　There　is　surely　a　strange



confusion　of　causes　and　conditions　in　all　this。　It　may　be　said；



indeed；　that　without　bones　and　muscles　and　the　other　parts　of　the　body



I　cannot　execute　my　purposes。　But　to　say　that　I　do　as　I　do　because



of　them；　and　that　this　is　the　way　in　which　mind　acts；　and　not　from　the



choice　of　the　best；　is　a　very　careless　and　idle　mode　of　speaking。　I



wonder　that　they　cannot　distinguish　the　cause　from　the　condition；



which　the　many；　feeling　about　in　the　dark；　are　always　mistaking　and



misnaming。　And　thus　one　man　makes　a　vortex　all　round　and　steadies



the　earth　by　the　heaven；　another　gives　the　air　as　a　support　to　the



earth；　which　is　a　sort　of　broad　trough。　Any　power　which　in　disposing



them　as　they　are　disposes　them　for　the　best　never　enters　into　their



minds；　nor　do　they　imagine　that　there　is　any　superhuman　strength　in



that；　they　rather　expect　to　find　another　Atlas　of　the　world　who　is



stronger　and　more　everlasting　and　more　containing　than　the　good　is；



and　are　clearly　of　opinion　that　the　obligatory　and　containing　power　of



the　good　is　as　nothing；　and　yet　this　is　the　principle　which　I　would



fain　learn　if　anyone　would　teach　me。　But　as　I　have　failed　either　to



discover　myself　or　to　learn　of　anyone　else；　the　nature　of　the　best；



I　will　exhibit　to　you；　if　you　like；　what　I　have　found　to　be　the　second



best　mode　of　inquiring　into　the　cause。



　　I　should　very　much　like　to　hear　that；　he　replied。



　　Socrates　proceeded：　I　thought　that　as　I　had　failed　in　the



contemplation　of　true　existence；　I　ought　to　be　careful　that　I　did



not　lose　the　eye　of　my　soul；　as　people　may　injure　their　bodily　eye



by　observing　and　gazing　on　the　sun　during　an　eclipse；　unless　they　take



the　precaution　of　only　looking　at　the　image　reflected　in　the　water；　or



in　some　similar　medium。　That　occurred　to　me；　and　I　was　afraid　that



my　soul　might　be　blinded　altogether　if　I　looked　at　things　with　my　eyes



or　tried　by　the　help　of　the　senses　to　apprehend　them。　And　I　thought



that　I　had　better　have　recourse　to　ideas；　and　seek　in　them　the　truth



of　existence。　I　dare　say　that　the　simil