Jowett: contradiction

antiphasis

Contradiction, proved impossible, Euthyd. 285 D foil. ; nature of, Rep.   4. 436 ; 10. 602 E ; power of, ib. 5. 454 A.

But if there is a contradiction, can the composition be good or true ? PROTAGORAS

And is there not a contradiction ? he asked. Reflect. PROTAGORAS

Brother dear, let us both together stay the force of the hero. And I summon you, for I am afraid that Protagoras will make an end of Simonides. Now is the time to rehabilitate Simonides, by the application of your philosophy of synonyms, which enables you to distinguish "will" and "wish," and make other charming distinctions like those which you drew just now. And I should like to know whether you would agree with me ; for I am of opinion that there is no contradiction in the words of Simonides. And first of all I wish that you would say whether, in your opinion, Prodicus, "being" is the same as "becoming." PROTAGORAS

Never mind, Prodicus, I said ; but let me ask whether, if our former assertions are true, a man will pursue that which he fears when he is not compelled ? Would not this be in flat contradiction to the admission which has been already made, that he thinks the things which he fears to be evil ; and no one will pursue or voluntarily accept that which he thinks to be evil ? PROTAGORAS

You are a liar, Meletus, not believed even by yourself. For I cannot help thinking, O men of Athens, that Meletus is reckless and impudent, and that he has written this indictment in a spirit of mere wantonness and youthful bravado. Has he not compounded a riddle, thinking to try me ? He said to himself : — I shall see whether this wise Socrates   will discover my ingenious contradiction, or whether I shall be able to deceive him and the rest of them. For he certainly does appear to me to contradict himself in the indictment as much as if he said that Socrates is guilty of not believing in the gods, and yet of believing in them — but this surely is a piece of fun. APOLOGY

Soc. And that is in contradiction with our present view ? LACHES

Polus. And do even you, Socrates, seriously believe what you are now saying about rhetoric ? What ! because Gorgias was ashamed to deny that the rhetorician knew the just and the honourable and the good, and admitted that to any one who came to him ignorant of them he could teach them, and then out of this admission there arose a contradiction — the thing which you dearly love, and to which not he, but you, brought the argument by your captious questions — [do you seriously believe that there is any truth in all this ?] For will any one ever acknowledge that he does not know, or cannot teach, the nature of justice ? The truth is, that there is great want of manners in bringing the argument to such a pass. GORGIAS

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. MENO

Soc. But in some other verses he shifts about and says : If understanding could be created and put into a man, then they [who were able to perform this feat] would have obtained great rewards. And again : — Never would a bad son have sprung from a good sire, for he would have heard the voice of instruction ; but not by teaching will you ever make a bad man into a good one. And this, as you may remark, is a contradiction of the other. MENO

Ctesippus said : And I, Socrates, am ready to commit myself to the strangers ; they may skin me alive, if they please (and I am pretty well skinned by them already), if only my skin is made at last, not like that of Marsyas, into a leathern bottle, but into a piece of virtue. And here is Dionysodorus fancying that I am angry with him, when really I am not angry at all ; I do but contradict him when I think that he is speaking improperly to me : and you must not confound abuse and contradiction, O illustrious Dionysodorus ; for they are quite different things. EUTHYDEMUS  

But when I describe something and you describe another thing, or I say something and you say nothing — is there any contradiction ? How can he who speaks contradict him who speaks not ? EUTHYDEMUS

And as I was saying at first, there would be a ridiculous contradiction in men studying to live as nearly as they can in a state of death, and yet repining when death comes. PHAEDO  

For the courage and temperance of other men, if you will consider them, are really a contradiction. PHAEDO

And are not the temperate exactly in the same case ? They are temperate because they are intemperate — which may seem to be a contradiction, but is nevertheless the sort of thing which happens with this foolish temperance. For there are pleasures which they must have, and are afraid of losing ; and therefore they abstain from one class of pleasures because they are overcome by another : and whereas intemperance is defined as "being under the dominion of pleasure," they overcome only because they are overcome by pleasure. And that is what I mean by saying that they are temperate through intemperance. PHAEDO

Str. My dear friend, we are engaged in a very difficult speculation — there can be no doubt of that ; for how a thing can appear and seem, and not be, or how a man can say a thing which is not true, has always been and still remains a very perplexing question. Can any one say or think that falsehood really exists, and avoid being caught in a contradiction ? Indeed, Theaetetus  , the task is a difficult one. SOPHIST

Str. The difficulty is how to define his art without falling into a contradiction. SOPHIST

Str. And he who is sceptical of this contradiction, must think how he can find something better to say ; or if. he sees a puzzle, and his pleasure is to drag words this way and that, the argument will prove to him, that he is not making a worthy use of his faculties ; for there is no charm in such puzzles, and there is no difficulty in detecting them ; but we can tell him of something else the pursuit of which is noble and also difficult. SOPHIST

Soc. When I say oblivious, do not suppose that I mean forgetfulness in a literal sense ; for forgetfulness is the exit of memory, which in this case has not yet entered ; and to speak of the loss of that which is not yet in existence, and never has been, is a contradiction ; do you see ? PHILEBUS  

Next follow the buildings for gymnasia and schools open to all ; these are to be in three places in the midst of the city ; and outside the city and in the surrounding country, also in three places, there shall be schools for horse exercise, and large grounds arranged with a view to archery and the throwing of missiles, at which young men may learn and practise. Of these mention has already been made, and if the mention be not sufficiently explicit, let us speak, further of them and embody them in laws. In these several schools let there be dwellings for teachers, who shall be brought from foreign parts by pay, and let them teach those who attend the schools the art of war and the art of music, and the children shall come not only if their parents please, but if they do not please ; there shall be compulsory education, as the saying is, of all and sundry, as far this is possible ; and the pupils shall be regarded as belonging to the state rather than to their parents. My law would apply to females as well as males ; they shall both go through the same exercises. I assert without fear of contradiction that gymnastic and horsemanship are as suitable to women as to men. Of the truth of this I am persuaded from ancient tradition, and at the present day there are said to be countless myriads of women in the neighbourhood of the Black Sea, called Sauromatides, who not only ride on horseback like men, but have enjoined upon them the use of bows and other weapons equally with the men. And I further affirm, that if these things are possible, nothing can be more absurd than the practice which prevails in our own country, of men and women not following the same pursuits with all their strength and with one mind, for thus the state, instead of being a whole, is reduced to a half, but has the same imposts to pay and the same toils to undergo ; and what can be a greater mistake for any legislator to make than this ? LAWS BOOK VII

Ath. That the unjust man may be bad, but that he is bad against his will. Now that an action which is voluntary should be done involuntarily is a contradiction ; wherefore he who maintains that injustice is involuntary will deem that the unjust does injustice involuntarily. I too admit that all men do injustice involuntarily, and if any contentious or disputatious person says that men are unjust against their will, and yet that many do injustice willingly, I do not agree with him. But, then, how can I avoid being inconsistent with myself, if you, Cleinias, and you, Megillus, say to me — Well, Stranger, if all this be as you say, how about legislating for the city of the Magnetes — shall we legislate or not — what do you advise ? Certainly we will, I should reply. Then will you determine for them what are voluntary and what are involuntary crimes, and shall we make the punishments greater of voluntary errors and crimes and less for the involuntary ? or shall we make the punishment of all to be alike, under the idea that there is no such thing as voluntary crime ? LAWS BOOK IX

What is to be done, then ? I said ; how shall we find a gentle nature which has also a great spirit, for the one is the contradiction of the other ? THE REPUBLIC BOOK II

I replied as follows : The same thing clearly cannot act or be acted upon in the same part or in relation to the same thing at the same time, in contrary ways ; and therefore whenever this contradiction occurs in things apparently the same, we know that they are really not the same, but different. THE REPUBLIC BOOK IV

Verily, Glaucon, I said, glorious is the power of the art of contradiction ! THE REPUBLIC BOOK V

Think a little and you will see that what has preceded will supply the answer ; for if simple unity could be adequately perceived by the sight or by any other sense, then, as we were saying in the case of the finger, there would be nothing to attract toward being ; but when there is some contradiction always present, and one is the reverse of one and involves the conception of plurality, then thought begins to be aroused within us, and the soul perplexed and wanting to arrive at a decision asks, "What is absolute unity ?" This is the way in which the study of the one has a power of drawing and converting the mind to the contemplation of true being. THE REPUBLIC BOOK VII

Yet anybody who has the least acquaintance with geometry will not deny that such a conception of the science is in flat contradiction to the ordinary language of geometricians. THE REPUBLIC BOOK VII

And when this principle measures and certifies that some things are equal, or that some are greater or less than others, there occurs an apparent contradiction ? THE REPUBLIC BOOK X

But were we not saying that such a contradiction is impossible — the same faculty cannot have contrary opinions at the same time about the same thing ? THE REPUBLIC BOOK X