Book IV Chapter 7

The frankness and simplicity¹ with which Socrates endeavoured to declare his own opinions, in dealing² with those who conversed³ with him,635 is, I think, conclusively⁵ proved by the above instances; at the same time, as I hope now to show, he was no less eager to cultivate a spirit of independence in others, which would enable them to stand alone in all transactions suited to their powers.

Of all the men I have ever known, he was most anxious to ascertain⁶ in what any of those about him was really versed⁴; and within the range of his own knowledge he showed the greatest zeal⁷ in teaching everything which it befits the true gentleman636 to know; or where he was deficient⁸ in knowledge himself,637 he would introduce his friends to those who knew.638 He did not fail to teach them also up to what point it was proper for an educated man to acquire empiric knowledge of any particular matter.639

To take geometry as an instance: Every one (he would say) ought to be taught geometry so far, at any rate, as to be able, if necessary, to take over or part with a piece of land, or to divide it up or assign a portion of it for cultivation,640 and in every case by geometric rule.641 That amount of geometry was so simple indeed, and easy to learn, that it only needed ordinary application of the mind to the method of mensuration, and the student could at once ascertain the size of the piece of land, and, with the satisfaction of knowing its measurement, depart in peace. But he was unable to approve of the pursuit of geometry up to the point at which it became a study of unintelligible⁹ diagrams.642 What the use of these might be, he failed, he said, to see; and yet he was not unversed in these recondite¹⁰ matters himself.643 These things, he would say, were enough to wear out a man’s life, and to hinder him from many other more useful studies.644

Again, a certain practical knowledge of astronomy, a certain skill in the study of the stars, he strongly insisted on. Every one should know enough of the science to be able to discover the hour of the night or the season of the month or year, for the purposes of travel by land or sea — the march, the voyage, and the regulations of the watch;645 and in general, with regard to all matters connected with the night season, or with the month, or the year,646 it was well to have such reliable data to go upon as would serve to distinguish the various times and seasons. But these, again, were pieces of knowledge easily learnt from night sportsmen,647 pilots of vessels¹¹, and many others who make it their business to know such things. As to pushing the study of astronomy so far as to include a knowledge of the movements of bodies outside our own orbit, whether planets or stars of eccentric movement,648 or wearing oneself out endeavouring to discover their distances from the earth, their periods, and their causes,649 all this he strongly discountenanced; for he saw (he said) no advantage in these any more than in the former studies. And yet he was not unversed650 in the subtleties¹² of astronomy any more than in those of geometry; only these, again, he insisted, were sufficient to wear out a man’s lifetime, and to keep him away from many more useful pursuits.

And to speak generally, in regard of things celestial¹³ he set his face against attempts to excogitate the machinery¹⁴ by which the divine power formed its several operations.651 Not only were these matters beyond man’s faculties¹⁵ to discover, as he believed, but the attempt to search out what the gods had not chosen to reveal could hardly (he supposed) be well pleasing in their sight. Indeed, the man who tortured his brains about such subjects stood a fair chance of losing his wits entirely¹⁶, just as Anaxagoras,652 the headiest speculator of them all, in his attempt to explain the divine mechanism¹⁷, had somewhat lost his head. Anaxagoras took on himself to assert that sun and fire are identical,653 ignoring the fact that human beings can easily look at fire, but to gaze steadily¹⁸ into the face of the sun is given to no man; or that under the influence of his rays the colour of the skin changes, but under the rays of fire not.654 He forgot that no plant or vegetation springs from earth’s bosom¹⁹ with healthy growth without the help of sunlight, whilst the influence of fire is to parch²⁰ up everything, and to destroy life; and when he came to speak of the sun as being a “red-hot stone” he ignored another fact, that a stone in fire neither lights up nor lasts, whereas the sun-god abides²¹ for ever with intensest brilliancy undimmed.

Socrates inculcated the study of reasoning processes,655 but in these, equally with the rest, he bade the student beware of vain and idle over-occupation. Up to the limit set by utility, he was ready to join in any investigation²², and to follow out an argument with those who were with him; but there he stopped. He particularly urged those who were with him to pay the utmost attention to health. They would learn all it was possible to learn from adepts²³, and not only so, but each one individually should take pains to discover, by a lifelong observation of his own case, what particular regimen, what meat or drink, or what kind of work, best suited him; these he should turn to account with a view to leading the healthiest possible life. It would be no easy matter for any one who would follow this advice, and study his own idiosyncrasy, to find a doctor to improve either on the diagnosis²⁴ or the treatment requisite²⁵.656

Where any one came seeking for help which no human wisdom could supply, he would counsel him to give heed²⁶ to “divination.” He who has the secret of the means whereby the gods give signs to men touching²⁷ their affairs can never surely find himself bereft²⁸ of heavenly guidance.

635 Or, “who frequented his society, is, I hope, clear from what has been said.”

636 Lit. “a beautiful and good man.”

637 Or, “where he lacked acquaintance with the matter himself.” See, for an instance, “Econ.” iii. 14.

638 “To those who had the special knowledge”; “a connoisseur²⁹ in the matter.”

639 Or, “of any particular branch of learning”; “in each department of things.”

640 e ergon apodeixasthai, or “and to explain the process.” Cf. Plat. “Rep.” vii. 528 D. See R. Kuhner ad loc. for other interpretations³⁰ of the phrase. Cf. Max. Tyr. xxxvii. 7.

641 Or, “by correct measurement”; lit. “by measurement of the earth.”

642 Cf. Aristot. “Pol.” v. (viii.) 2; Cic. “Acad. Post.” I. iv. 15. For the attitude compare the attitude of a philosopher in other respects most unlike Socrates — August Comte, e.g. as to the futility³¹ of sidereal³² astronomy, “Pos. Pol.” i. 412 (Bridges).

643 Cf. Isocr. “On the Antidosis,” 258-269, as to the true place of “Eristic” in education. See above, IV. ii. 10.

644 Cf. A. Comte as to “perte intellectuelle” in the pursuit of barren studies.

645 Schneid. cf. Plat. “Rep.” vii. 527 D.

646 “Occurrences connected with the night, the month, or year.” e.g. the festival of the Karneia, the tekmerion (point de repere) of which is the full moon of August. Cf. Eur. “Alc.” 449.

647 See Plat. “Soph.” 220 D; above, III. xi. 8; “Cyrop.” I. vi. 40; “Hunting,” xii. 6; Hippocr. “Aer.” 28.

648 See Lewis, “Astron. of the Ancients”; cf. Diog. Laert. vii. 1. 144.

649 Or, “the causes of these.”

650 oude touton ge anekoos en. He had “heard,” it is said, Archelaus, a pupil of Anaxagoras. Cf. Cic. “Tusc.” V. iv. 10.

651 Or, “he tried to divert one from becoming overly-wise in heavenly matters and the ‘mecanique celeste’ of the Godhead in His several operations.” See above, I. i. 11. See Grote, “Plato,” i. 438.

652 Of Clazomenae. Cf. Plat. “Apol.” 14; Diog. Laert. II. vi; Cic. “Tusc.” V. iv. 10; Cobet, “Prosop. Xen.” s.n.; Grote, “H. G.” i. 501.

653 Or, “that the sun was simply a fire, forgetting so simple a fact as that.”

654 Or, “the complexion³³ darkens, whereas fire has no such effect.”

655 logismous = (1) “arithmetic,” (2) “calculation,” (3) “syllogistic reasoning.” See L. Dind. “Index. Gr.” s.v., and Kuhner ad loc.; cf. Plat. “Gorg.” 451 C. It is important to decide which form of “logism” is meant here.

656 Or, “to find a doctor better able than himself to ‘diagnose’ and prescribe a treatment congenial to health.” Cf. Tac. “Ann.” vi. 46; Plut. “de San.” 136 E, ap. Schneid. ad loc.

1 simplicity   

n.简单，简易；朴素；直率，单纯

参考例句：

• She dressed with elegant simplicity.她穿着朴素高雅。
• The beauty of this plan is its simplicity.简明扼要是这个计划的一大特点。

2 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

3 conversed   

v.交谈，谈话( converse的过去式 )

参考例句：

• I conversed with her on a certain problem. 我与她讨论某一问题。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• She was cheerful and polite, and conversed with me pleasantly. 她十分高兴，也很客气，而且愉快地同我交谈。 来自辞典例句

4 versed   

adj. 精通，熟练

参考例句：

• He is well versed in history.他精通历史。
• He versed himself in European literature. 他精通欧洲文学。

5 conclusively   

adv.令人信服地，确凿地

参考例句：

• All this proves conclusively that she couldn't have known the truth. 这一切无可置疑地证明她不可能知道真相。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• From the facts,he was able to determine conclusively that the death was not a suicide. 根据这些事实他断定这起死亡事件并非自杀。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 ascertain   

vt.发现，确定，查明，弄清

参考例句：

• It's difficult to ascertain the coal deposits.煤储量很难探明。
• We must ascertain the responsibility in light of different situtations.我们必须根据不同情况判定责任。

7 zeal   

n.热心，热情，热忱

参考例句：

• Revolutionary zeal caught them up,and they joined the army.革命热情激励他们，于是他们从军了。
• They worked with great zeal to finish the project.他们热情高涨地工作，以期完成这个项目。

8 deficient   

adj.不足的，不充份的，有缺陷的

参考例句：

• The crops are suffering from deficient rain.庄稼因雨量不足而遭受损害。
• I always have been deficient in selfconfidence and decision.我向来缺乏自信和果断。

9 unintelligible   

adj.无法了解的，难解的，莫明其妙的

参考例句：

• If a computer is given unintelligible data, it returns unintelligible results.如果计算机得到的是难以理解的数据，它给出的也将是难以理解的结果。
• The terms were unintelligible to ordinary folk.这些术语一般人是不懂的。

10 recondite   

adj.深奥的，难解的

参考例句：

• Her poems are modishly experimental in style and recondite in subject-matter.她的诗在风格上是时髦的实验派，主题艰深难懂。
• To a craftsman,the ancient article with recondite and scholastic words was too abstruse to understand.可是对一个车轮师父而言，这些之乎者也的文言文是太深而难懂的。

11 vessels   

n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人

参考例句：

• The river is navigable by vessels of up to 90 tons. 90 吨以下的船只可以从这条河通过。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All modern vessels of any size are fitted with radar installations. 所有现代化船只都有雷达装置。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

12 subtleties   

细微( subtlety的名词复数 )； 精细； 巧妙； 细微的差别等

参考例句：

• I think the translator missed some of the subtleties of the original. 我认为译者漏掉了原著中一些微妙之处。
• They are uneducated in the financial subtleties of credit transfer. 他们缺乏有关信用转让在金融方面微妙作用的知识。

13 celestial   

adj.天体的；天上的

参考例句：

• The rosy light yet beamed like a celestial dawn.玫瑰色的红光依然象天上的朝霞一样绚丽。
• Gravity governs the motions of celestial bodies.万有引力控制着天体的运动。

14 machinery   

n.(总称)机械，机器；机构

参考例句：

• Has the machinery been put up ready for the broadcast?广播器材安装完毕了吗？
• Machinery ought to be well maintained all the time.机器应该随时注意维护。

15 faculties   

n.能力( faculty的名词复数 )；全体教职员；技巧；院

参考例句：

• Although he's ninety, his mental faculties remain unimpaired. 他虽年届九旬，但头脑仍然清晰。
• All your faculties have come into play in your work. 在你的工作中，你的全部才能已起到了作用。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

17 mechanism   

n.机械装置；机构，结构

参考例句：

• The bones and muscles are parts of the mechanism of the body.骨骼和肌肉是人体的组成部件。
• The mechanism of the machine is very complicated.这台机器的结构是非常复杂的。

18 steadily   

adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地

参考例句：

• The scope of man's use of natural resources will steadily grow.人类利用自然资源的广度将日益扩大。
• Our educational reform was steadily led onto the correct path.我们的教学改革慢慢上轨道了。

19 bosom   

n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的

参考例句：

• She drew a little book from her bosom.她从怀里取出一本小册子。
• A dark jealousy stirred in his bosom.他内心生出一阵恶毒的嫉妒。

20 parch   

v.烤干，焦干

参考例句：

• Let's parch corn!咱们爆玉米花吧。
• But you can parch the clothes with the gas in the kitchen.你就用煤气火烤干衣服吧。

21 abides   

容忍( abide的第三人称单数 )； 等候； 逗留； 停留

参考例句：

• He abides by his friends. 他忠于朋友。
• He always abides by the law. 他素来守法。

22 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

23 adepts   

n.专家，能手( adept的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• And, of course, all the dark side adepts will choose that faction. 开发商没有提供有关强盗阵营的特色的内容，但我估计应该是猎枪(shotgun)吧。 来自互联网
• The adepts in Washington mean to give rather than to take. 华盛顿的老手意味着给予而不是索取。 来自互联网

24 diagnosis   

n.诊断，诊断结果，调查分析，判断

参考例句：

• His symptoms gave no obvious pointer to a possible diagnosis.他的症状无法作出明确的诊断。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做一次彻底的调查分析。

25 requisite   

adj.需要的，必不可少的；n.必需品

参考例句：

• He hasn't got the requisite qualifications for the job.他不具备这工作所需的资格。
• Food and air are requisite for life.食物和空气是生命的必需品。

26 heed   

v.注意，留意；n.注意，留心

参考例句：

• You must take heed of what he has told.你要注意他所告诉的事。
• For the first time he had to pay heed to his appearance.这是他第一次非得注意自己的外表不可了。

27 touching   

adj.动人的，使人感伤的

参考例句：

• It was a touching sight.这是一幅动人的景象。
• His letter was touching.他的信很感人。

28 bereft   

adj.被剥夺的

参考例句：

• The place seemed to be utterly bereft of human life.这个地方似乎根本没有人烟。
• She was bereft of happiness.她失去了幸福。

29 connoisseur   

n.鉴赏家，行家，内行

参考例句：

• Only the real connoisseur could tell the difference between these two wines.只有真正的内行才能指出这两种酒的区别。
• We are looking for a connoisseur of French champagne.我们想找一位法国香槟酒品酒专家。

30 interpretations   

n.解释( interpretation的名词复数 )；表演；演绎；理解

参考例句：

• This passage is open to a variety of interpretations. 这篇文章可以有各种不同的解释。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The involved and abstruse passage makes several interpretations possible. 这段艰涩的文字可以作出好几种解释。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

31 futility   

n.无用

参考例句：

• She could see the utter futility of trying to protest. 她明白抗议是完全无用的。
• The sheer futility of it all exasperates her. 它毫无用处，这让她很生气。

32 sidereal   

adj.恒星的

参考例句：

• The sidereal year is not used to construct a calendar. 恒星年不用于编制年历。
• A sidereal day is about 4 minutes shorter than a solar day.一个恒星日比一个太阳日大约短4分钟。

33 complexion   

n.肤色；情况，局面；气质，性格

参考例句：

• Red does not suit with her complexion.红色与她的肤色不协调。
• Her resignation puts a different complexion on things.她一辞职局面就全变了。