Dialogues

lang="grc" xml:lang="grc">καλὸν? Socrates That is more obscure; yet the form is only due to the quantity, and has been changed by altering ου into ο. Hermogenes What do you mean? Socrates This name appears to denote mind. Hermogenes How so? Socrates Let me ask you what is the cause why anything has a name; is not the principle which imposes the name the cause? Hermogenes Certainly. Socrates And must not this be the mind of Gods, or of men, or of both? Hermogenes Yes. Socrates Is not mind that which called (καλέσαν) things by their names, and is not mind the beautiful (καλὸν)? Hermogenes That is evident. Socrates And are not the works of intelligence and mind worthy of praise, and are not other works worthy of blame? Hermogenes Certainly. Socrates Physic does the work of a physician, and carpentering does the works of a carpenter? Hermogenes Exactly. Socrates And the principle of beauty does the works of beauty? Hermogenes Of course. Socrates And that principle we affirm to be mind? Hermogenes Very true. Socrates Then mind is rightly called beauty because she does the works which we recognize and speak of as the beautiful? Hermogenes That is evident. Socrates What more names remain to us? Hermogenes There are the words which are connected with ἀγαθὸν and καλὸν, such as συμφέρον and λυσιτελοῦν, ὠφέλιμον, κερδαλέον, and their opposites. Socrates The meaning of συμφέρον (expedient) I think that you may discover for yourself by the light of the previous examples⁠—for it is a sister word to ἐπιστήμη, meaning just the motion (φορὰ) of the soul accompanying the world, and things which are done upon this principle are called σύμφορα or συμφέροντα, because they are carried round with the world. Hermogenes That is probable. Socrates Again, κερδαλέον (gainful) is called from κέρδος (gain), but you must alter the δ into ν if you want to get at the meaning; for this word also signifies good, but in another way; he who gave the name intended to express the power of admixture (κεραννύμενον) and universal penetration in the good; in forming the word, however, he inserted a δ instead of a ν, and so made κέρδος. Hermogenes Well, but what is λυσιτελοῦν (profitable)? Socrates I suppose, Hermogenes, that people do not mean by the profitable the gainful or that which pays (λύει) the retailer, but they use the word in the sense of swift. You regard the profitable (λυσιτελοῦν), as that which being the swiftest thing in existence, allows of no stay in things and no pause or end of motion, but always, if there begins to be any end, lets things go again (λύει), and makes motion immortal and unceasing: and in this point of view, as appears to me, the good is happily denominated λυσιτελοῦν⁠—being that which looses (λύον) the end (τέλος) of motion. Ὠφέλιμον (the advantageous) is derived from ὀφέλλειν, meaning that which creates and increases; this latter is a common Homeric word, and has a foreign character. Hermogenes And what do you say of their opposites? Socrates Of such as are mere negatives I hardly think that I need speak. Hermogenes Which are they? Socrates The words ἀξύμφορον (inexpedient), ἀνωφελῦς (unprofitable), ἀλνσιτελῦς (unadvantageous), ἀκερδῦς (ungainful). Hermogenes True. Socrates I would rather take the words βλαβερὸν (harmful), ζημιῶδες (hurtful). Hermogenes Good. Socrates The word βλαβερὸν is that which is said to hinder or harm (βλάπτειν) the stream (ῥοῦν); βλάπτον is βουλόμενον ἅπτειν (seeking to hold or bind); for ἅπτειν is the same as δεῦν, and δεῦν is always a term of censure; βουλόμενον ἅπτειν ῥοῦν (wanting to bind the stream) would properly be βουλαπτεροῦν, and this, as I imagine, is improved into βλαβερὸν. Hermogenes You bring out curious results, Socrates, in the use of names; and when I hear the word βουλαπτεροῦν I cannot help imagining that you are making your mouth into a flute, and puffing away at some prelude to Athene. Socrates That is the fault of the makers of the name, Hermogenes; not mine. Hermogenes Very true; but what is the derivation of ζημιῶδες? Socrates What is the meaning of ζημιῶδες?⁠—let me remark, Hermogenes, how right I was in saying that great changes are made in the meaning of words by putting in and pulling out letters; even a very slight permutation will sometimes give an entirely opposite sense; I may instance the word δέον, which occurs to me at the moment, and reminds me of what I was going to say to you, that the fine fashionable language of modern times has twisted and disguised and entirely altered the original meaning both of δέον, and also of ζημιῶδες, which in the old language is clearly indicated. Hermogenes What do you mean? Socrates I will try to explain. You are aware that our forefathers loved the sounds ι and δ, especially the women, who are most conservative of the ancient language, but now they change ι into η or ε, and δ into ζ; this is supposed to increase the grandeur of the sound. Hermogenes How do you mean? Socrates For example, in very ancient times they called the day either ἱμέρα or ἑμέρα, which is called by us ἡμέρα. Hermogenes That is true. Socrates Do you observe that only the ancient form shows the intention of the giver of the name? of which the reason is, that men long for (ἵμείρουσι) and love the light which comes