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Balliol¡¡College£»



October£»¡¡1891¡£











NOTE







The¡¡chief¡¡additions¡¡to¡¡the¡¡Introductions¡¡in¡¡the¡¡Third¡¡Edition¡¡consist¡¡of



Essays¡¡on¡¡the¡¡following¡¡subjects£º







1¡£¡¡¡¡Language¡£







2¡£¡¡¡¡The¡¡decline¡¡of¡¡Greek¡¡Literature¡£







3¡£¡¡¡¡The¡¡'Ideas'¡¡of¡¡Plato¡¡and¡¡Modern¡¡Philosophy¡£







4¡£¡¡¡¡The¡¡myths¡¡of¡¡Plato¡£







5¡£¡¡¡¡The¡¡relation¡¡of¡¡the¡¡Republic£»¡¡Statesman¡¡and¡¡Laws¡£







6¡£¡¡¡¡The¡¡legend¡¡of¡¡Atlantis¡£







7¡£¡¡¡¡Psychology¡£







8¡£¡¡¡¡Comparison¡¡of¡¡the¡¡Laws¡¡of¡¡Plato¡¡with¡¡Spartan¡¡and¡¡Athenian¡¡Laws¡¡and



Institutions¡£











CHARMIDES¡£







INTRODUCTION¡£







The¡¡subject¡¡of¡¡the¡¡Charmides¡¡is¡¡Temperance¡¡or¡¡£¨Greek£©£»¡¡a¡¡peculiarly¡¡Greek



notion£»¡¡which¡¡may¡¡also¡¡be¡¡rendered¡¡Moderation¡¡£¨Compare¡¡Cic¡£¡¡Tusc¡£¡¡'£¨Greek£©£»



quam¡¡soleo¡¡equidem¡¡tum¡¡temperantiam£»¡¡tum¡¡moderationem¡¡appellare£»¡¡nonnunquam



etiam¡¡modestiam¡£'£©£»¡¡Modesty£»¡¡Discretion£»¡¡Wisdom£»¡¡without¡¡completely



exhausting¡¡by¡¡all¡¡these¡¡terms¡¡the¡¡various¡¡associations¡¡of¡¡the¡¡word¡£¡¡¡¡It¡¡may



be¡¡described¡¡as¡¡'mens¡¡sana¡¡in¡¡corpore¡¡sano£»'¡¡the¡¡harmony¡¡or¡¡due¡¡proportion



of¡¡the¡¡higher¡¡and¡¡lower¡¡elements¡¡of¡¡human¡¡nature¡¡which¡¡'makes¡¡a¡¡man¡¡his¡¡own



master£»'¡¡according¡¡to¡¡the¡¡definition¡¡of¡¡the¡¡Republic¡£¡¡¡¡In¡¡the¡¡accompanying



translation¡¡the¡¡word¡¡has¡¡been¡¡rendered¡¡in¡¡different¡¡places¡¡either



Temperance¡¡or¡¡Wisdom£»¡¡as¡¡the¡¡connection¡¡seemed¡¡to¡¡require£º¡¡¡¡for¡¡in¡¡the



philosophy¡¡of¡¡Plato¡¡£¨Greek£©¡¡still¡¡retains¡¡an¡¡intellectual¡¡element¡¡£¨as



Socrates¡¡is¡¡also¡¡said¡¡to¡¡have¡¡identified¡¡£¨Greek£©¡¡with¡¡£¨Greek£©£º¡¡¡¡Xen¡£¡¡Mem¡££©¡¡



and¡¡is¡¡not¡¡yet¡¡relegated¡¡to¡¡the¡¡sphere¡¡of¡¡moral¡¡virtue£»¡¡as¡¡in¡¡the



Nicomachean¡¡Ethics¡¡of¡¡Aristotle¡£







The¡¡beautiful¡¡youth£»¡¡Charmides£»¡¡who¡¡is¡¡also¡¡the¡¡most¡¡temperate¡¡of¡¡human



beings£»¡¡is¡¡asked¡¡by¡¡Socrates£»¡¡'What¡¡is¡¡Temperance£¿'¡¡¡¡He¡¡answers



characteristically£»¡¡£¨1£©¡¡'Quietness¡£'¡¡¡¡'But¡¡Temperance¡¡is¡¡a¡¡fine¡¡and¡¡noble



thing£»¡¡and¡¡quietness¡¡in¡¡many¡¡or¡¡most¡¡cases¡¡is¡¡not¡¡so¡¡fine¡¡a¡¡thing¡¡as



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this¡¡again¡¡is¡¡set¡¡aside¡¡by¡¡a¡¡sophistical¡¡application¡¡of¡¡Homer£º¡¡¡¡for



temperance¡¡is¡¡good¡¡as¡¡well¡¡as¡¡noble£»¡¡and¡¡Homer¡¡has¡¡declared¡¡that¡¡'modesty



is¡¡not¡¡good¡¡for¡¡a¡¡needy¡¡man¡£'¡¡¡¡£¨3£©¡¡Once¡¡more¡¡Charmides¡¡makes¡¡the¡¡attempt¡£¡¡



This¡¡time¡¡he¡¡gives¡¡a¡¡definition¡¡which¡¡he¡¡has¡¡heard£»¡¡and¡¡of¡¡which¡¡Socrates



conjectures¡¡that¡¡Critias¡¡must¡¡be¡¡the¡¡author£º¡¡¡¡'Temperance¡¡is¡¡doing¡¡one's



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thus¡¡would¡¡be¡¡opposed¡¡to¡¡the¡¡division¡¡of¡¡labour¡¡which¡¡exists¡¡in¡¡every



temperate¡¡or¡¡well¡­ordered¡¡state¡£¡¡¡¡How¡¡is¡¡this¡¡riddle¡¡to¡¡be¡¡explained£¿







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between¡¡'making'¡¡and¡¡'doing£»'¡¡and¡¡with¡¡the¡¡help¡¡of¡¡a¡¡misapplied¡¡quotation



from¡¡Hesiod¡¡assigns¡¡to¡¡the¡¡words¡¡'doing'¡¡and¡¡'work'¡¡an¡¡exclusively¡¡good



sense£º¡¡¡¡Temperance¡¡is¡¡doing¡¡one's¡¡own¡¡business£»£¨4£©¡¡is¡¡doing¡¡good¡£







Still¡¡an¡¡element¡¡of¡¡knowledge¡¡is¡¡wanting¡¡which¡¡Critias¡¡is¡¡readily¡¡induced



to¡¡admit¡¡at¡¡the¡¡suggestion¡¡of¡¡Socrates£»¡¡and£»¡¡in¡¡the¡¡spirit¡¡of¡¡Socrates¡¡and



of¡¡Greek¡¡life¡¡generally£»¡¡proposes¡¡as¡¡a¡¡fifth¡¡definition£»¡¡£¨5£©¡¡Temperance¡¡is



self¡­knowledge¡£¡¡¡¡But¡¡all¡¡sciences¡¡have¡¡a¡¡subject£º¡¡¡¡number¡¡is¡¡the¡¡subject¡¡of



arithmetic£»¡¡health¡¡of¡¡medicinewhat¡¡is¡¡the¡¡subject¡¡of¡¡temperance¡¡or



wisdom£¿¡¡¡¡The¡¡answer¡¡is¡¡that¡¡£¨6£©¡¡Temperance¡¡is¡¡the¡¡knowledge¡¡of¡¡what¡¡a¡¡man



knows¡¡and¡¡of¡¡what¡¡he¡¡does¡¡not¡¡know¡£¡¡¡¡But¡¡this¡¡is¡¡contrary¡¡to¡¡analogy£»¡¡there



is¡¡no¡¡vision¡¡of¡¡vision£»¡¡but¡¡only¡¡of¡¡visible¡¡things£»¡¡no¡¡love¡¡of¡¡loves£»¡¡but



only¡¡of¡¡beautiful¡¡things£»¡¡how¡¡then¡¡can¡¡there¡¡be¡¡a¡¡knowledge¡¡of¡¡knowledge£¿¡¡



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something¡¡else£»¡¡not¡¡than¡¡itself£»¡¡and¡¡this¡¡seems¡¡to¡¡be¡¡true¡¡of¡¡all¡¡relative



notionsthe¡¡object¡¡of¡¡relation¡¡is¡¡outside¡¡of¡¡them£»¡¡at¡¡any¡¡rate¡¡they¡¡can



only¡¡have¡¡relation¡¡to¡¡themselves¡¡in¡¡the¡¡form¡¡of¡¡that¡¡object¡£¡¡¡¡Whether¡¡there



are¡¡any¡¡such¡¡cases¡¡of¡¡reflex¡¡relation¡¡or¡¡not£»¡¡and¡¡whether¡¡that¡¡sort¡¡of



knowledge¡¡which¡¡we¡¡term¡¡Temperance¡¡is¡¡of¡¡this¡¡reflex¡¡nature£»¡¡has¡¡yet¡¡to¡¡be



determined¡¡by¡¡the¡¡great¡¡metaphysician¡£¡¡¡¡But¡¡even¡¡if¡¡knowledge¡¡can¡¡know



itself£»¡¡how¡¡does¡¡the¡¡knowledge¡¡of¡¡what¡¡we¡¡know¡¡imply¡¡the¡¡knowledge¡¡of¡¡what



we¡¡do¡¡not¡¡know£¿¡¡¡¡Besides£»¡¡knowledge¡¡is¡¡an¡¡abstraction¡¡only£»¡¡and¡¡will¡¡not



inform¡¡us¡¡of¡¡any¡¡particular¡¡subject£»¡¡such¡¡as¡¡medicine£»¡¡building£»¡¡and¡¡the



like¡£¡¡¡¡It¡¡may¡¡tell¡¡us¡¡that¡¡we¡¡or¡¡other¡¡men¡¡know¡¡something£»¡¡but¡¡can¡¡never



tell¡¡us¡¡what¡¡we¡¡know¡£







Admitting¡¡that¡¡there¡¡is¡¡a¡¡knowledge¡¡of¡¡what¡¡we¡¡know¡¡and¡¡of¡¡what¡¡we¡¡do¡¡not



know£»¡¡which¡¡would¡¡supply¡¡a¡¡rule¡¡and¡¡measure¡¡of¡¡all¡¡things£»¡¡still¡¡there



would¡¡be¡¡no¡¡good¡¡in¡¡this£»¡¡and¡¡the¡¡knowledge¡¡which¡¡temperance¡¡gives¡¡must¡¡be



of¡¡a¡¡kind¡¡which¡¡will¡¡do¡¡us¡¡good£»¡¡for¡¡temperance¡¡is¡¡a¡¡good¡£¡¡¡¡But¡¡this



universal¡¡knowledge¡¡does¡¡not¡¡tend¡¡to¡¡our¡¡happiness¡¡and¡¡good£º¡¡¡¡the¡¡only¡¡kind



of¡¡knowledge¡¡which¡¡brings¡¡happiness¡¡is¡¡the¡¡knowledge¡¡of¡¡good¡¡and¡¡evil¡£¡¡¡¡To



this¡¡Critias¡¡replies¡¡that¡¡the¡¡science¡¡or¡¡knowledge¡¡of¡¡good¡¡and¡¡evil£»¡¡and



all¡¡the¡¡other¡¡sciences£»¡¡are¡¡regulated¡¡by¡¡the¡¡higher¡¡science¡¡or¡¡knowledge¡¡of



knowledge¡£¡¡¡¡Socrates¡¡replies¡¡by¡¡again¡¡dividing¡¡the
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