Περὶ τοῦ Παρασίτου ὅτι Τέχνη ἡ Παρασιτική

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İngilizce İngilizce Yunanca

8 SIMON Then the parasite would not be saved by Parasitic if it were want of art? TY CHIADES True.

8 SIMON Then it is art that saves him, and not want of art?

8 TYCHIADES Quite so. SIMON Then Parasitic is an art?

8 TYCHIADES It is, apparently.

8 SIMON I assure you I know of many instances when good helmsmen have been wrecked and expert drivers thrown from their seats, and some had _ broken bones, while others were completely done for; but nobody can cite any such mishap in the case of a parasite. Then if Parasitic is not want of art and not a gift, but a complex of knowledges exercised in combination, evidently we have reached an agreement to-day that it is an art.

9 TYCHIADES As far as I can judge from what has been said. But wait a bit: give us a first-class definition of Parasitic.

9 SIMON Right. It seems to me that the definition might best be expressed’ thus: Parasitic is that art which is concerned with food and drink and what must be said and done to obtain them, and its end is pleasure.

9 TYCHIADES That, to my mind, is a tip-top definition of your art; but look out that you do not get into conflict with some of the philosophers over the end.With the Epicureans, who claimed the same summum bonum, and the Stoics, who rejected it. The Stoics are met tirst, with the argument that not virtue but Parasitic is the consummation of happiness. The sense of τέλος shifts slightly, to prepare for its use in the citation from Homer. SIMON It will be quite sufficient if I can show that happiness and Parasitic have the same end, and that will be plain from this: