133
Soc. And if the soul too, my dear Alcibiades, is to know herself, she must surely look at a soul, and especially at that region of it in which occurs the virtue of a soul—wisdom, and at any other part of a soul which resembles this?
133
Alc. I agree, Socrates.
133
Soc. And can we find any part of the soul that we can call more divine than this, which is the seat of knowledge and thought?
133
Alc. We cannot.
133
Soc. Then this part of her resembles God, and whoever looks at this, and comes to know all that is divine, will gain thereby the best knowledge of himself.
133
Alc. Apparently.
133
Soc. And self-knowledge we admitted to be temperance. Above, Plat. Alc. 1.131b.
133
Alc. To be sure.
133
Soc. So if we have no knowledge of ourselves and no temperance, shall we be able to know our own belongings, good or evil?
133
Alc. How can that be, Socrates?
133
Soc. For I expect it seems impossible to you that without knowing Alcibiades you should know that the belongings of Alcibiades are in fact his.
133
Alc. Impossible indeed, upon my word.
133
Soc. Nor could we know that our belongings are ours if we did not even know ourselves?
133
Alc. How could we?
133
Soc. And so, if we did not so much as know our belongings, we could not know the belongings of our belongings either?
133
Alc. Apparently not.
133
Soc. Then we were not quite correct in admitting just now that there are people who, without knowing themselves, know their belongings, while others know their belongings’ belongings. For it seems to be the function of one man and one art to discern all three— himself, his belongings, and the belongings of his belongings.
133
Alc. It looks like it.
133
Soc. And anyone who is ignorant of his belongings will be similarly ignorant, I suppose, of the belongings of others.
133
Alc. Quite so.
133
Soc. And if ignorant of others’ affairs, he will be ignorant also of the affairs of states.
133
Alc. He must be.
133
Soc. Then such a man can never be a statesman.
133
Alc. No, indeed.
133
Soc. No, nor an economist either.
134
Alc. No, indeed.
134
Soc. Nor will he know what he is doing.
134
Alc. No, I agree.
