Euthyphro in the Cratylus – third continuation

Socrates says that Hermogenes is right when he trusts the inspiration of Euthyphro (o0rqw&j ge su\ pisteu/wn): ‘For at this moment (w(j kai\ nu=n) a new and ingenious thought strikes me (ge/ moi fai/nomai komyw_j e0nnenohk/nai).’ But Socrates is chary of his own enthusiasm: ‘and I am going to be in danger (kai\ kinduneu/sw) if I am not careful (e0a\n mh\ eu0labw~mai), before tomorrow’s dawn (e1ti th/meron) I shall be wiser than I ought to be (sofw&teroj tou= de/ontoj gene/sqai),’

What’s that new and ingenious thought? Hermogenes wanted to obtain an explanation of why men (a1nqrwpoi) are called “men” (“a1nqrwpoi”), and Socrates said that it was ’difficult to think out’ (xalepo/n e0stin e0nnoh=sai, 398e3): ‘Examine carefully what I am going to say (sko/pei dh\ o4 le/gw). And first (prw&ton me\n ga/r), one must understand this concerning the names (to\ toio/nde dei= e0nnoh=sai peri\ o0noma/twn), that we often put some letters in (o3ti polla/kij e0pemba/llomen gra/mmata) and pull other letters out (ta\ d’ e0cairou=men), and change accents (kai\ ta\j o0cu/thtaj metaba/llomen, 399a9).’ Socrates maintains that this is ‘what happened concerning the name of men’ (to\ tw~n a0nqrw&pwn o1noma pe/ponqen). ‘For from a phrase (e0k ga\r r9h/matoj) it became a name (o1noma ge/gonen), one letter (e9no\j gra/mmatoj), which is the a (tou= a), having been omitted (e0caireqe/ntoj) and the acute on the last syllable changed to a grave (kai\ barute/raj th=j teleuth=j genome/nhj, 399a8-9).’

Hermogenes does not understand: ‘How do you mean (Pw~j le/geij;)?’

Socrates: ‘Thus (W{de). The name “man” signifies this (shmai/nei tou=to to o1noma o9 a1nqrwpoj), that other animals (o3ti ta\ me\n a1lla qhri/a) don’t examine anything (ou0de\n e0piskopei=), or consider (ou0de\ a0nalogi/zetai), or look up at (ou0de\ a0naqrei=) what they see (w{n o9ra=|), but that man (o9 de\ a1nqrwpoj), as he can see something (a3ma e9w&raken) – and this is o1pwpe – he looks up (\a0naqrei=) and considers (kai\ logi/zetai) that which he can see (tou=to o4 o1pwpen), and hence (e0nteu=qen dh/) he alone of all animals (mo/non tw~n qhri/wn) is rightly called (o0rqw=j w)noma/sqh) a1nqrwpoj, examining what he can see (a0naqrw~n a4 o1pwpe).’ (399a3c6)

Hermogenes does not say anything in response to Socrates’ inspired explanation of a1nqrwpoj. And indeed, Socrates’ explanation is difficult to grasp and to reflect upon.

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I always type Jowett’s translation, and then I compare it with the ‘corresponding’ Greek text, which often forces me to fundamentally transform Jowett’s translation, or abandon it and substitute my own translation. Nevertheless, I have kept intact Jowett’s ‘the acute on the last syllable has been changed to a grave’, which stands for Socrates’ kai\ barute/raj th=j teleuth=j genome/nhj ('the ending having become barytone’, 399a8-9). By ‘the acute on the last syllable’ Jowett must mean the circumflex accent on a0naqrw~n, which Socrates views as acute (cf. o0cei/aj at 399b2, and o0cu/thtaj at 399a9).

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Hermogenes asks Socrates to analyse (dielei=n) what comes next (to\ meta\ tou=to), that is ‘soul’ (yuxh/) and ‘body’ (sw~ma).

Socrates: ‘If I am to say what occurs to me at the moment (w(j me\n toi/nun e0k tou= paraxrh=ma le/gein), I should imagine that those who first used the name "psyche" (yuxh/) meant to express something like this (oi]mai/ ti toiou=ton noei=n tou\j th\n yuxh\n o0noma/santaj), that this (the soul) (w(j tou=to a1ra), when it is in the body (o9ta\n parh=| tw~| sw&mati), is the source of life to it [i.e. to the body] (ai1tio/n e0sti tou= zh=n au0tw~|), and gives the power of breath (th=n tou= a0napnei=n du/namin pare/xon) and revival (kai\ a0nayu=xon), and when this reviving power fails (a3ma de\ e0klei/pontoj tou= a0napsu/xontoj) then the body (to\ sw~ma) perishes and dies (a0po/llutai/ te kai\ teleuta=|), and this is why (o3qen dh/), if I am not mistaken (moi dokou=sin), they called it psyche (au0to\ psuxh\n kale/sai).’ (399d10-e3).

But at that moment Socrates envisages something more refined: ‘But please (ei0 de\ bou/lei) stay a moment (e1xe h0re/ma); I fancy (dokw~ ga/r) that I can discover something (moi/ ti kaqora=n) that will be more acceptable than this (piqanw&teron tou/tou) to the disciples of Euthyphro (toi=j a0mfi\ Eu0qu/frona), for I am afraid that they will scorn this explanation (tou/tou me\n ga/r, w(j e0moi\ dokei=, katafronh/saien a1n), and think it banal (kai\ h9gh/sainto fortiko\n ei]nai). What do you say to another (to/de de\ sko/pei e0a\n kai\ soi\ a0re/sh=|;)?’

Hermogenes: ‘Let me hear (Le/ge mo/non).’

Socrates: ‘What is that which holds and carries and gives life and motion to the entire nature of the body? What else but soul (th\n fu/sin pa/ntoj tou= sw&matoj, w3ste kai\ zh=n kai\ periie/nai, ti/ soi dokei= e1xein te kai\ o0xei=n a1llo h2 yuxh/;)?’

Hermogenes: ‘Just that (Ou0de\n a1llo).’

Socrates: ‘And do you not believe with Anaxagoras, that mind or soul is the ordering and containing principle of all things (Ti/ de/; kai\ th\n tw~n a1llwn a9pa/ntwn fu/sin ou0 pisteu/eij A)nacago/ra| nou=n kai yuxh\n ei]nai th\n diakosmou=san kai\ e1xousan;)?’

Hermogenes: ‘Yes; I do (E1gwge).’

Socrates: ‘Then you may well call that power fuse/xh which carries and holds nature (kalw~j a1ra a2n to\ o1noma tou=to e1xoi th=| duna/mei tau/th| h4 fu/sin o0xei= kai\ e1xei “fuse/xhn” o0noma/zein), and this may be refined away into yuxh/ (e0ce/sti de\ kai\ “yuxh\n” komyeuo/menon le/gein).’

Hermogenes: ‘Certainly (Pa/nu me\n ou]n); and this derivation is, I think, more scientific than the other (kai\ dokei= ge/ moi tou=to e0kei/nou texnikw&teron ei]nai).’

Socrates: ‘It is so (Kai\ ga\r e1stin); although the name in its original form was assuredly a quaint one (geloi=on me/ntoi fai/netai w(j a0lhqw~j o0nomazo/men w(j e0te/qh).’ (399e3-400b7, tr. B. Jowett)