SOCRATES:Yes,my sweet friend,but a great statesman is likely to have a great intelligence.And I think that the view which is implied in Nicias'definition of courage is worthy of examination.
LACHES:Then examine for yourself,Socrates.
SOCRATES:That is what I am going to do,my dear friend.Do not,however,suppose I shall let you out of the partnership;for I shall expect you to apply your mind,and join with me in the consideration of the question.
LACHES:I will if you think that I ought.
SOCRATES:Yes,I do;but I must beg of you,Nicias,to begin again.You remember that we originally considered courage to be a part of virtue.
NICIAS:Very true.
SOCRATES:And you yourself said that it was a part;and there were many other parts,all of which taken together are called virtue.
NICIAS:Certainly.
SOCRATES:Do you agree with me about the parts?For I say that justice,temperance,and the like,are all of them parts of virtue as well as courage.Would you not say the same?
NICIAS:Certainly.
SOCRATES:Well then,so far we are agreed.And now let us proceed a step,and try to arrive at a similar agreement about the fearful and the hopeful:I do not want you to be thinking one thing and myself another.Let me then tell you my own opinion,and if I am wrong you shall set me right:in my opinion the terrible and the hopeful are the things which do or do not create fear,and fear is not of the present,nor of the past,but is of future and expected evil.Do you not agree to that,Laches?
LACHES:Yes,Socrates,entirely.
SOCRATES:That is my view,Nicias;the terrible things,as I should say,are the evils which are future;and the hopeful are the good or not evil things which are future.Do you or do you not agree with me?
NICIAS:I agree.
SOCRATES:And the knowledge of these things you call courage?
NICIAS:Precisely.
SOCRATES:And now let me see whether you agree with Laches and myself as to a third point.
NICIAS:What is that?
SOCRATES:I will tell you.He and I have a notion that there is not one knowledge or science of the past,another of the present,a third of what is likely to be best and what will be best in the future;but that of all three there is one science only:for example,there is one science of medicine which is concerned with the inspection of health equally in all times,present,past,and future;and one science of husbandry in like manner,which is concerned with the productions of the earth in all times.
As to the art of the general,you yourselves will be my witnesses that he has an excellent foreknowledge of the future,and that he claims to be the master and not the servant of the soothsayer,because he knows better what is happening or is likely to happen in war:and accordingly the law places the soothsayer under the general,and not the general under the soothsayer.
Am I not correct in saying so,Laches?
LACHES:Quite correct.
SOCRATES:And do you,Nicias,also acknowledge that the same science has understanding of the same things,whether future,present,or past?
NICIAS:Yes,indeed Socrates;that is my opinion.
SOCRATES:And courage,my friend,is,as you say,a knowledge of the fearful and of the hopeful?
NICIAS:Yes.
SOCRATES:And the fearful,and the hopeful,are admitted to be future goods and future evils?
NICIAS:True.
SOCRATES:And the same science has to do with the same things in the future or at any time?
NICIAS:That is true.
SOCRATES:Then courage is not the science which is concerned with the fearful and hopeful,for they are future only;courage,like the other sciences,is concerned not only with good and evil of the future,but of the present and past,and of any time?
NICIAS:That,as I suppose,is true.
SOCRATES:Then the answer which you have given,Nicias,includes only a third part of courage;but our question extended to the whole nature of courage:and according to your view,that is,according to your present view,courage is not only the knowledge of the hopeful and the fearful,but seems to include nearly every good and evil without reference to time.
What do you say to that alteration in your statement?
