Timaeus — Plato

p. 210

The analogy of the visible and invisible.

Republic VI. Socrates, Glaucon. The idea of good higher than science or truth (the objective than the subjective).

As the sun is the cause of generation, so the good is the cause of being and essence.

idea of good, and this you will deem to be the cause of science ', and of truth in so far as the latter becomes the subject of knowledge ; beautiful too, as are both truth and knowledge, you will be right in esteeming this other nature as more beautiful than either; and, as in the previous instance, light 5^9 and sight may be truly said to be hke the sun, and yet not to be the sun, so in this other sphere, science and truth may be deemed to be like the good, but not the good ; the good has a place of honour yet higher. What a wonder of beauty that must be, he said, which is the author of science and truth, and yet surpasses them in beauty ; for you surely cannot mean to say that pleasure is the good? God forbid, I replied ; but may I ask you to consider the image in another point of view? In what point of view? You would say, would you not, that the sun is not only the author of visibihty in all visible things, but of generation and nourishment and growth, though he himself is not generation ? Certainly. In hke manner the good may be said to be not only the author of knowledge to all things known, but of their being and essence, and yet the good is not essence, but far exceeds essence in dignity and power. Glaucon said, with a ludicrous earnestness : By the light of heaven, how amazing! Yes, I said, and the exaggeration may be set down to you , for you made me utter my fancies. And pray continue to utter them ; at any rate let us hear if there is anything more to be said about the similitude of the sun. Yes, I said, there is a great deal more. Then omit nothing, however slight. I will do my best, I said ; but I should think that a great deal will have to be omitted. I hope not, he said. You have to imagine, then, that there are two ruling

' Reading ^tavoov.

The subdivisions of them. 2 1 1 powers, and that one of them is set over the intellectual Republic vi. world, the other over the visible. I do not say heaven, lest Socrates, you should fancy that I am playing upon the name (ovpavog, Glaucon. dparog). May I suppose that you have this distinction of the visible and intelligible fixed in your mind? I have.

Now take a line which has been cut into two unequal ^ The two parts, and divide each of them again in the same proportion, JP ^^^nd and suppose the two main divisions to answer, one to the knowledge visible and the other to the inteUigible, and then compare sente^^ ^ -x the subdivisions in respect of their clearness and want of line which is clearness, and you will find that the first section in the t^^o unequal 5 1 o sphere of the visible consists of images.

And by images I parts, mean, in the first place, shadows, and in the second place, reflections in water and in solid, smooth and polished bodies and the like: Do you understand? Yes, I understand. Imagine, now, the other section, of which this is only the resemblance, to include the animals which we see, and everything that grows or is made. Very good.

Would you not admit that both the sections of this division have different degrees of truth, and that the copy is to the original as the sphere of opinion is to the sphere of knowledge? Most undoubtedly. Next proceed to consider the manner in which the sphere of the intellectual is to be divided. In what manner?

Thus: — There are two subdivisions, in the lower of which images and the soul uses the figures given by the former division as ^^^'^^ ^^^^ . images ; the enquiry can only be hypothetical, and instead of going upwards to a principle descends to the other end ; in the higher of the two, the soul passes out of hypotheses, and goes up to a principle which is above hypotheses, making no ;use of images ^ as in the former case, but proceeding only in and through the ideas themselves. I do not quite understand your meaning, he said. ' Reading aviaa. * Reading uvnep eKeivo e'lKdvuif.