Sexta parte da República tratando da matemática, das ideias, da virtude, da causa.
As imagens do Tríptico da República facilmente se reduzem ao esquema mais simples, uma vez traçada a linha principal que, no «Sol», separa o sensível, onde reina o astro do dia, do inteligível, onde reina a Ideia do Bem; na «Linha», o mundo das coisas, do mundo das ideias; e na «Caverna», o que se passa no interior, do que se passa no exterior. Essa linha é, designando-a por uma só palavra, a do horizonte.
ágnôstos: desconhecido, não cognoscível
1. Devido à transcendência de Deus surgem alguns problemas acerca da possibilidade de este ser um objeto de conhecimento. Um agnosticismo simples é defendido por Protágoras (Diels, frg. 80B 4) onde a questão se subdivide em duas: a de saber se os deuses existem e a de qual é a sua natureza; o problema da agnosia trata, mais propriamente, do último aspecto (sobre a questão da sua existência, cf. theos).
Alors Adimante : — Socrate, dit-il, à ces b arguments que tu as avancés, personne ne serait à même de s’opposer.
1. 484 — Eh bien, dis-je, Glaucon, pour ce qui est des philosophes, et de ceux qui ne le sont pas, voici que parvenus au terme d’un long dialogue, et avec quelque difficulté, on a fait voir qui ils sont, les uns et les autres.
— C’est que peut-être, dit-il, le faire brièvement n’était pas faciIe.
— C’est en effet ce qui apparaît, dis-je. Moi en tout cas il me semble que ce serait apparu encore mieux si on n’avait eu à parler que de cela, et s’il n’était pas resté bien d’autres choses à exposer pour pouvoir distinguer en quoi la vie b juste diffère de la vie injuste.
Os dois livros seguintes ocupar-se-ão, logicamente, da preparação do filósofo.
May not the relation of sight to this deity be described as follows ?
How ?
Neither sight nor the eye in which sight resides is the sun ?
No.
Yet of all the organs of sense the eye is the most like the sun ?
By far the most like.
And the power which the eye possesses is a sort of effluence which is dispensed from the sun ?
Exactly.
Then the sun is not sight, but the author of sight who is recognized by sight ?
True, he said.
Still, I must implore you, Socrates, said Glaucon, not to turn away just as you are reaching the goal ; if you will only give such an explanation of the good as you have already given of justice and temperance and the other virtues, we shall be satisfied.
What, he said, is there a knowledge still higher than this — higher than justice and the other virtues ?
Yes, I said, there is. And of the virtues too we must behold not the outline merely, as at present — nothing short of the most finished picture should satisfy us. When little things are elaborated with an infinity of pains, in order that they may appear in their full beauty and utmost clearness, how ridiculous that we should not think the highest truths worthy of attaining the highest accuracy !
And so with pain and toil we have reached the end of one subject, but more remains to be discussed ; how and by what studies and pursuits will the saviours of the constitution be created, and at what ages are they to apply themselves to their several studies ?
Certainly.