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The Judgment of Animals in Classical Greece: Animal Sculpture and ...

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KLEINIAS. Yes.<br />

ATHENIAN. What then, if someone doesn’t know what each <strong>of</strong> the bodies <strong>of</strong> the th<strong>in</strong>gs<br />

imitated is? Would he ever know what is correctly executed <strong>in</strong> them? What I mean is<br />

someth<strong>in</strong>g like this: doesn’t he have to know whether the imitation captures the number<br />

<strong>and</strong> the arrangement <strong>of</strong> each <strong>of</strong> the parts, how many there are <strong>and</strong> how they fit next to one<br />

another <strong>in</strong> the appropriate order, <strong>and</strong> also the colors <strong>and</strong> shapes, or whether all these<br />

th<strong>in</strong>gs have been put together <strong>in</strong> a confused way? Do you th<strong>in</strong>k someone can ever know<br />

these th<strong>in</strong>gs if he is completely ignorant <strong>of</strong> what the liv<strong>in</strong>g th<strong>in</strong>g is that has been imitated?<br />

KLEINIAS. How could he?<br />

ATHENIAN. What if we were to know that the th<strong>in</strong>g that has been pa<strong>in</strong>ted <strong>and</strong><br />

sculptured is a human be<strong>in</strong>g, <strong>and</strong> that all his own parts, colors, <strong>and</strong> shapes have been<br />

captured by the art? Does it follow necessarily that whoever knows about these th<strong>in</strong>gs<br />

also readily knows whether the work is beautiful or just where it is deficient <strong>in</strong> beauty?<br />

KLEINIAS. That would mean, stranger, that all <strong>of</strong> us, so to speak, know what is beautiful<br />

<strong>in</strong> any pa<strong>in</strong>t<strong>in</strong>gs <strong>of</strong> liv<strong>in</strong>g th<strong>in</strong>gs.<br />

ATHENIAN. What you say is very correct. Isn’t it the case, then, that with regard to<br />

each image, <strong>in</strong> pa<strong>in</strong>t<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong> music <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong> all the rest, the person who is go<strong>in</strong>g to be a<br />

prudent judge must have three k<strong>in</strong>ds <strong>of</strong> knowledge? He must know first what the th<strong>in</strong>g<br />

is, <strong>and</strong> then know how correctly, <strong>and</strong> then—the third th<strong>in</strong>g—how well, any <strong>of</strong> the images<br />

<strong>of</strong> it <strong>in</strong> words, tunes, <strong>and</strong> rhythms are produced.<br />

145<br />

Plato, Leges 769a-769d IV B.C.<br />

Text: J. Burnet, ed., Platonis opera V (Oxford, 1907; repr. 1967).<br />

Translation: T. L. Pangle, tr., <strong>The</strong> Laws <strong>of</strong> Plato (New York, 1980).<br />

[AQ.] Oi]sq' o3ti kaqa&per zwgra&fwn ou)de\n pe/raj e1xe<strong>in</strong> h( pragmatei/a dokei= peri\<br />

e9ka&stwn tw~n zw|&wn, a)ll' h2 tou~ xrai/ne<strong>in</strong> h2 a)poxrai/ne<strong>in</strong>, h2 o(tidh&pote kalou~si to_<br />

toiou~ton oi9 zwgra&fwn pai=dej, ou)k a1n pote dokei= pau&sasqai kosmou~sa,<br />

w3ste e0pi/dos<strong>in</strong> mhke/t' e1xe<strong>in</strong> ei0j to_ kalli/w te kai\ fanerw&tera gi/gnesqai ta_<br />

gegramme/na.<br />

[KL.] Sxedo_n e0nnow~ a)kou&wn kai\ au)to_j tau~ta a4 le/geij, e0pei\ e0ntribh&j ge<br />

ou)damw~j ge/gona th|~ toiau&th| te/xnh|.<br />

[AQ.] Kai\ ou)de/n ge e0bla&bhj. xrhsw&meqa& ge mh_n tw|~ nu~n paratuxo&nti peri\ au)th~j<br />

h(mi=n lo&gw| to_ toio&nde, w(j ei1 pote/ tij e0p<strong>in</strong>oh&seie gra&yai te w(j ka&lliston zw|~on<br />

kai\ tou~t' au} mhde/pote e0pi\ faulo&teron a)ll' e0pi\ to_ be/ltion i1sxe<strong>in</strong> tou~ e0pio&ntoj<br />

a)ei\ xro&nou, sunnoei=j o3ti qnhto_j w1n, ei0 mh& t<strong>in</strong>a katalei/yei dia&doxon tou~<br />

e0panorqou~n te, e0a&n ti sfa&llhtai to_ zw|~on u(po_ xro&nwn, kai\ to_ paraleifqe\n u(po_<br />

th~j a)sqenei/aj th~j e9autou~ pro_j th_n te/xnhn oi[o&j te ei0j to_ pro&sqen e1stai<br />

faidru&nwn poiei=n e0pidido&nai, smikro&n t<strong>in</strong>a xro&non au)tw|~ po&noj paramenei=<br />

pa&mpoluj;<br />

[KL.] 0Alhqh~.<br />

[AQ.] Ti/ ou}n; a}r' ou) toiou~ton dokei= soi to_ tou~ nomoqe/tou bou&lhm' ei]nai; prw~ton<br />

me\n gra&yai tou_j no&mouj pro_j th_n a)kri/beian kata_ du&nam<strong>in</strong> i9kanw~j: e1peita<br />

proi"o&ntoj tou~ xro&nou kai\ tw~n doca&ntwn e1rgw| peirw&menon, a}r' oi1ei t<strong>in</strong>a_ ou3twj<br />

398

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