Interpretation: A Journal of Political Philosophy
Interpretation: A Journal of Political Philosophy
Interpretation: A Journal of Political Philosophy
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About Plato's Philebus 171<br />
"What you enjoin me to do is not difficult,"55 and he repeats: "It is<br />
easy."<br />
Let us be on our guard. All wise men agree, and thereby really<br />
exalt themselves, says Socrates, that voiig is king <strong>of</strong> heaven and earth.<br />
Socrates adds: "Perhaps they are<br />
right."<br />
50<br />
What foUows is indeed an easy, but not too convincing "cosmological"<br />
account, which ends with the statement that voiig belongs to that <strong>of</strong> the<br />
all."<br />
67<br />
four tribes which was called "the cause <strong>of</strong> Notice, please, again,<br />
"<strong>of</strong><br />
all."<br />
And Socrates adds: "Now,<br />
you have at last your<br />
answer."<br />
Protarchus: "Yes, and a very sufficient one; and yet you answered without<br />
my noticing it." 5S Socrates: "Yes, Protarchus, for sometimes playing<br />
provides rest from serious<br />
pursuit."<br />
"cosmological"<br />
59 We understand: the<br />
account, which makes the voiig the cause <strong>of</strong> all the other tribes, was a<br />
playful account. We are not sure whether this voiig is the "divine<br />
mentioned before. And let us not forget that,<br />
within the confines<br />
<strong>of</strong> human life, the best, voiig could obtain, was the second prize.<br />
Socrates concludes this entire discussion <strong>of</strong> the four tribes by pointing to<br />
voiig and to pleasure. He does not mention anything pertaining<br />
and to the "mixture."<br />
to "limit"<br />
Let us remember, he says, "that votig was akin to<br />
cause and belonged roughly speaking [o"xe86v] to this tribe and that<br />
pleasure was itself limitless and belonged to the tribe which, in and by<br />
end." 60<br />
itself, has not and never will have either beginning or middle or<br />
We must add that this holds also for pain. As we have seen, the dialogue,<br />
too, has neither a beginning nor an end, and for that matter, no middle.<br />
The graph <strong>of</strong> a Platonic dialogue usually not always looks like this:<br />
But the graph <strong>of</strong> the Philebus looks hke this:<br />
55 28 C.<br />
5 Ibid.<br />
57 30 E.<br />
58 Ibid.<br />
58 Ibid.<br />
60 31 A.