Benjamín Jowett nació el 15 de abril de 1817 en Londres, Inglaterra; y falleció el 1 de octubre del año 1893. Fue educador, traductor, teólogo y erudito inglés. Traductor de las obras de Platón.
O que se tem hoje em dia disponível na Internet sobre Platão é imenso, aqui seguem apenas algumas referências por onde começar. De qualquer modo, não deixem de visitar nossa tentativa (em construção) de montar um léxico de termos e expressões retirados da tradução inglesa de Benjamin Jowett de toda obra de Platão, com seu contexto de significado e a devida referência bibliográfica.
Alguns tradutores e traduções da obra completa de Platão.
Socrates : I will tell you, in order that you may not share the impiety of the multitude : for there cannot conceivably be anything more impious or more to be guarded against than being mistaken in word and deed with regard to the gods, and after them, with regard to divine men ; you must take very great precaution, whenever you are about to [319a] blame or praise a man, so as not to speak incorrectly.
Socrates : Then what thing especially of this sort shall we surmise law to be ?
Companion : Our resolutions and decrees, I imagine : for how else can one describe law ? [314c] So that apparently the whole thing, law, as you put it in your question, is a city’s resolution.
Socrates : State opinion, it seems, is what you call law.
Companion : I do.
Socrates : And perhaps you are right : but I fancy we shall get a better knowledge in this way. You call some men wise ?
Companion : I do.
Socrates : And the wise are wise by wisdom ?
Companion : Well, what else should law be, Socrates, but things loyally accepted ?
Socrates : And so speech, you think, is the things that are spoken, or sight the things seen, or hearing the things heard ? Or is speech [313c] something distinct from the things spoken, sight something distinct from the things seen, and hearing something distinct from the things heard ; and so law is something distinct from things loyally accepted ? Is this so, or what is your view ?
Companion : I find it now to be something distinct.
The plan of the Laws is more irregular and has less connexion than any other of the writings of Plato. As Aristotle says in the Politics (ii. 6, § 4), ‘The greater part consists of laws’; in Books V, VI, XI, XII the dialogue almost entirely disappears. Large portions of them are rather the materials for a work than a finished composition which may rank with the other Platonic dialogues.
Soc. And is, then, all which is just pious ? or, is that which is pious all just, but that which is just, only in part and not all, pious ?
Euth. I do not understand you, Socrates.
Soc. And yet I know that you are as much wiser than I am, as you are younger. But, as I was saying, revered friend, the abundance of your wisdom makes you lazy. Please to exert yourself, for there is no real difficulty in understanding me. What I mean I may explain by an illustration of what I do not mean. The poet (Stasinus) sings —
Of Zeus, the author and creator of all these things,
Soc. Ought we to enquire into the truth of this, Euthyphro, or simply to accept the mere statement on our own authority and that of others ? What do you say ?
Euth. We should enquire ; and I believe that the statement will stand the test of enquiry.
Soc. We shall know better, my good friend, in a little while. The point which I should first wish to understand is whether the pious or holy is beloved by the gods because it is holy, or holy because it is beloved of the gods.
Euth. I do not understand your meaning, Socrates.
MINOS
Persons of the Dialogue : SOCRATES, a Companion.
[313a] Socrates : Tell me, what is law ?
Companion : To what kind of law does your question refer ?