"meno" - читать интересную книгу автора (Plato)

Soc. I think not.

Men. Why not?

Soc. I will tell you why: I have heard from certain wise men and
women who spoke of things divine that-

Men. What did they say?

Soc. They spoke of a glorious truth, as I conceive.

Men. What was it? and who were they?

Soc. Some of them were priests and priestesses, who had studied
how they might be able to give a reason of their profession: there,
have been poets also, who spoke of these things by inspiration, like
Pindar, and many others who were inspired. And they say-mark, now, and
see whether their words are true-they say that the soul of man is
immortal, and at one time has an end, which is termed dying, and at
another time is born again, but is never destroyed. And the moral
is, that a man ought to live always in perfect holiness. "For in the
ninth year Persephone sends the souls of those from whom she has
received the penalty of ancient crime back again from beneath into the
light of the sun above, and these are they who become noble kings
and mighty men and great in wisdom and are called saintly heroes in
after ages." The soul, then, as being immortal, and having been born
again many times, rand having seen all things that exist, whether in
this world or in the world below, has knowledge of them all; and it is
no wonder that she should be able to call to remembrance all that
she ever knew about virtue, and about everything; for as all nature is
akin, and the soul has learned all things; there is no difficulty in
her eliciting or as men say learning, out of a single recollection
-all the rest, if a man is strenuous and does not faint; for all
enquiry and all learning is but recollection. And therefore we ought
not to listen to this sophistical argument about the impossibility
of enquiry: for it will make us idle; and is sweet only to the
sluggard; but the other saying will make us active and inquisitive. In
that confiding, I will gladly enquire with you into the nature of
virtue.

Men. Yes, Socrates; but what do you mean by saying that we do not
learn, and that what we call learning is only a process of
recollection? Can you teach me how this is?

Soc. I told you, Meno, just now that you were a rogue, and now you
ask whether I can teach you, when I am saying that there is no
teaching, but only recollection; and thus you imagine that you will
involve me in a contradiction.