Interpretation: A Journal of Political Philosophy

170
Interpretation
three tribes his life of unmixed pleasure belongs. The full question is this:
have pleasure and pain a limit or are they among the things which admit
"the more as well as the less?"
Philebus's answer is: "Yes, among those
which admit the more; for pleasure would not be aU the good, if it were
not limitless in multitude and in the 'more.'"48 Socrates dryly replies:
"Nor would pain, Philebus, be aU the
duced in the discussion for the third time,
evil."
49 This is how pain is intro
and this time decisively. For
Socrates adds he would grant Philebus that both, pleasure and pain, are
in the tribe of the Limitless. We note Philebus meant only pleasure, not
pain. Socrates'
addition is decisive.
Pleasure and pain are a limitless pair. One of the consequences of this
finding is that there are no ei8t| of pleasure, in the strict sense of this word.
We remember that Socrates had intimated that the discussion would show
in a clearer way why it would not be necessary to divide pleasure into its
ei8t)- Socrates will use this term later on in discussing pleasure, but it wiU
not have to be taken in its strict sense.
The next question Socrates asks Protarchus and Philebus is: to what
tribe thoughtfulness, knowledge and voiig shall be assigned without impiety.
Socrates explains: "For I think that our risk is not a small one in finding
or not finding the right answer to what is being asked
now."
50 PhUebus:
"You exalt your own god, Socrates, you do." 51 Socrates: "And you your
goddess, my friend. But the question calls for an answer, aU the
same."
52
Protarchus intervenes and urges Philebus to answer. Whereupon Philebus
says: "Did you not, Protarchus, choose to reply in my place?"53 This is
the last time Philebus raises his voice. Let us look back for a moment.
At the beginning of our reading
we learn that Protarchus will defend
Philebus's thesis of pleasure, because Philebus himself, as Protarchus says,
"has grown tired"
(the Greek word is d^EipnxE, a pun on the word
ditEtpov). A little later Philebus has an opportunity to regret that he spoke
up
again and calls upon his own goddess to witness that he does regret.
When the "one and
many"
question comes up, Protarchus remarks: "It is
perhaps best for the inquirer not to disturb Philebus in his sweet
repose."
54
And now he wiU be silent aU the time, even when pleasure, his goddess,
is thoroughly discussed. What is he doing aU this time? Just listening?
Protarchus has some difficulty in answering Socrates'
last question,
namely, to what tribe knowledge and vor>g should be assigned, and asks
Socrates to answer this question himself. Socrates is wiUing. He declares:
48 27 E.
49 28 A.
50 Ibid.
si 28 B.
52 Ibid.
63 Ibid.
54 15 C [tacit reference to the proverb: \ii\
xiveiv xccxdv eu xeijievov].