登陆注册
14817900000005

第5章

Socrates in his genial and ironical mood hits right and left at his adversaries: Ouranos is so called apo tou oran ta ano, which, as some philosophers say, is the way to have a pure mind; the sophists are by a fanciful explanation converted into heroes; 'the givers of names were like some philosophers who fancy that the earth goes round because their heads are always going round.' There is a great deal of 'mischief' lurking in the following: 'I found myself in greater perplexity about justice than I was before I began to learn;' 'The rho in katoptron must be the addition of some one who cares nothing about truth, but thinks only of putting the mouth into shape;' 'Tales and falsehoods have generally to do with the Tragic and goatish life, and tragedy is the place of them.' Several philosophers and sophists are mentioned by name: first, Protagoras and Euthydemus are assailed; then the interpreters of Homer, oi palaioi Omerikoi (compare Arist. Met.) and the Orphic poets are alluded to by the way; then he discovers a hive of wisdom in the philosophy of Heracleitus;--the doctrine of the flux is contained in the word ousia (= osia the pushing principle), an anticipation of Anaxagoras is found in psuche and selene.

Again, he ridicules the arbitrary methods of pulling out and putting in letters which were in vogue among the philologers of his time; or slightly scoffs at contemporary religious beliefs. Lastly, he is impatient of hearing from the half-converted Cratylus the doctrine that falsehood can neither be spoken, nor uttered, nor addressed; a piece of sophistry attributed to Gorgias, which reappears in the Sophist. And he proceeds to demolish, with no less delight than he had set up, the Heracleitean theory of language.

In the latter part of the dialogue Socrates becomes more serious, though he does not lay aside but rather aggravates his banter of the Heracleiteans, whom here, as in the Theaetetus, he delights to ridicule. What was the origin of this enmity we can hardly determine:--was it due to the natural dislike which may be supposed to exist between the 'patrons of the flux' and the 'friends of the ideas' (Soph.)? or is it to be attributed to the indignation which Plato felt at having wasted his time upon 'Cratylus and the doctrines of Heracleitus' in the days of his youth? Socrates, touching on some of the characteristic difficulties of early Greek philosophy, endeavours to show Cratylus that imitation may be partial or imperfect, that a knowledge of things is higher than a knowledge of names, and that there can be no knowledge if all things are in a state of transition. But Cratylus, who does not easily apprehend the argument from common sense, remains unconvinced, and on the whole inclines to his former opinion. Some profound philosophical remarks are scattered up and down, admitting of an application not only to language but to knowledge generally; such as the assertion that 'consistency is no test of truth:' or again, 'If we are over-precise about words, truth will say "too late" to us as to the belated traveller in Aegina.'

The place of the dialogue in the series cannot be determined with certainty. The style and subject, and the treatment of the character of Socrates, have a close resemblance to the earlier dialogues, especially to the Phaedrus and Euthydemus. The manner in which the ideas are spoken of at the end of the dialogue, also indicates a comparatively early date. The imaginative element is still in full vigour; the Socrates of the Cratylus is the Socrates of the Apology and Symposium, not yet Platonized; and he describes, as in the Theaetetus, the philosophy of Heracleitus by 'unsavoury' similes--he cannot believe that the world is like 'a leaky vessel,' or 'a man who has a running at the nose'; he attributes the flux of the world to the swimming in some folks' heads. On the other hand, the relation of thought to language is omitted here, but is treated of in the Sophist. These grounds are not sufficient to enable us to arrive at a precise conclusion. But we shall not be far wrong in placing the Cratylus about the middle, or at any rate in the first half, of the series.

Cratylus, the Heracleitean philosopher, and Hermogenes, the brother of Callias, have been arguing about names; the former maintaining that they are natural, the latter that they are conventional. Cratylus affirms that his own is a true name, but will not allow that the name of Hermogenes is equally true. Hermogenes asks Socrates to explain to him what Cratylus means; or, far rather, he would like to know, What Socrates himself thinks about the truth or correctness of names? Socrates replies, that hard is knowledge, and the nature of names is a considerable part of knowledge: he has never been to hear the fifty-drachma course of Prodicus; and having only attended the single-drachma course, he is not competent to give an opinion on such matters. When Cratylus denies that Hermogenes is a true name, he supposes him to mean that he is not a true son of Hermes, because he is never in luck. But he would like to have an open council and to hear both sides.

Hermogenes is of opinion that there is no principle in names; they may be changed, as we change the names of slaves, whenever we please, and the altered name is as good as the original one.

You mean to say, for instance, rejoins Socrates, that if I agree to call a man a horse, then a man will be rightly called a horse by me, and a man by the rest of the world? But, surely, there is in words a true and a false, as there are true and false propositions. If a whole proposition be true or false, then the parts of a proposition may be true or false, and the least parts as well as the greatest; and the least parts are names, and therefore names may be true or false. Would Hermogenes maintain that anybody may give a name to anything, and as many names as he pleases; and would all these names be always true at the time of giving them?

同类推荐
  • Representative Government

    Representative Government

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 佛点头脉诀

    佛点头脉诀

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 赠崔员外

    赠崔员外

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 释门章服仪

    释门章服仪

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 江岸秋思

    江岸秋思

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
热门推荐
  • 灰色书籍

    灰色书籍

    一本名为《灰色书籍》的古书记载着前往根源的地图,然而全世界却没有人能够看懂其中的奥妙!两个从根源之地而来的人却愿意无条件帮助人们获取书中的全部……
  • 谋士成长日记

    谋士成长日记

    这是一个穿越后只想混吃等死的“程序猿”,神奇的得到了一个要命的系统,结果被逼着走向了争霸天下的故事。顾东:果然这纨绔的滋味儿,就是酸爽啊!本扑街写手的催更QQ群:460775642(PS:因为我实在很懒,如果我某天没有更新,请务必在群里催我。)
  • 盗墓行动

    盗墓行动

    有一天,一些盗墓者在一个墓里挖出了一个不知名的东西,至此,引发了几大家族的纷争,几代的恩恩怨怨由此展现!期待吧!
  • 最后一位精灵族人

    最后一位精灵族人

    多年前,为了赞颂一位伟大的精灵祖先,精灵匠人们在绝壁上将一块巨石雕琢成竖琴,让它永远在那里演奏着动人的音乐。然而随着岁月流逝,昔日精美的雕塑受到严重风化,巨大的竖琴早已面目全非。后来,这里被称为咏唱之丘,哈尔法营地便建立于此。多年后,一名年幼的精灵族人走出哈尔法营地,吟诵起复仇的诗篇,向北方冰封的大陆起航。
  • 战舰基地

    战舰基地

    打从上一任接过战舰基地开始,那无数纪元以来的使命与责任自然也就将有你来继续下去······当星空被无尽基地战舰打破那万古不变的寂静···当敌人一批又一批的死在舰炮、导弹的轰击之下···当那一天真正到来之际,哪怕身在十八层地狱,身在无尽虚空,我们都会回来,看看那用敌人的血肉做成的烟花···
  • 夏时起风了

    夏时起风了

    青山原不老,为雪白头.绿水本无忧,因风皱面。每个都是爱情是一个冗长的故事啊~年少,暗恋,高中,远方…一个个洋溢着青春的字眼都是年少的喜欢啊!!!就这么固执的认定他/她
  • tfboys源分

    tfboys源分

    真爱是不可勉强的,该相遇即使是天涯海角也会相遇,不该相遇即使再努力也是徒劳,如果注定会相遇并且也努力了那就是锦上添花,一起来看锦上添花是怎样演绎的。
  • 想飞的男二号

    想飞的男二号

    爱情漫漫路,何处是归途?送给:曾经暗恋过的正在暗恋的即将暗恋的男孩,女孩
  • 绝品医皇在都市

    绝品医皇在都市

    逆天犯二,护花儿郎。绝世智能,造就一代妙手医狂。只有你想不到,没有我做不到。
  • 少年拳圣

    少年拳圣

    少年壮志的廖学兵是中海大学的一名普通学生,偶然的机会他救下了被小混混骚扰的美女啤酒促销员徐贞妍,无意中得罪了赫赫有名的盛元武馆,从此人生掀开了新的篇章。隐藏在世俗社会后的武道世界丛林法则盛行,初生牛犊的廖学兵没有害怕,凭借着乐观的精神、不屈的灵魂,一路披荆斩棘,面对世家公子、黑道大鳄、武道巨擘、异国高手组成的强大对手,毅然向五年一度的武道大赛的王冠——少年拳圣发起了冲击。人生注定波澜壮阔的廖学兵,武道之路走得很艰难,却也很香艳,一路陪伴他的有邻家小妹、黑道女杰、豪门小姐、香艳女明星,他到底凭什么让环肥燕瘦的她们心甘情愿的陪伴,这是一个谜……