Plato: Πολιτεία (Politea; De Republica)
[English translation by G.M.A. Grube, revised by C.D.C. Reeve]

327c. Socrates proposes an exchange of words to Polemarchus’s false dilemma, i.e. that Socrates must show greater force than Polemarchus or yield and obey. The only path forward seems to be escalation; the other option that Polemarchus offers is to surrender. Socrates reaches for a creative third option that is sensitive to the possibility of conflict. The position is that of a pacifist and rationalist.

中文

苏格拉底提出通过对话解决波勒马库斯的错误两难，即苏格拉底…

327d-e. At the core of Plato’s metaphysics is the belief that the senses—sight, hearing, smell, touch, and taste—are fallible, and therefore, only the mind can know ultimate reality. However, Plato’s Socrates emphasizes the importance of the exact opposite here: listening to older people is wise, not because they necessarily know ultimate reality with their mind, but because they know from experience “what kind of road it is, whether rough and difficult or smooth and easy.” Socrates subtly highlights the significance of experiential wisdom—a proto-empiricist point—and the subjective experience—a proto-existentialist point. This also shows that despite Plato’s acquired taste for the mathematical elegance found in dialectical reason, he values practical wisdom, too—a proto-pragmatic point, acknowledging the importance of knowledge grounded in lived experience.