Volume 1 - Discourses - Books I - II - College of Stoic Philosophers

BOOK L viii. i r-ix. 2What then ? Was not Plato a philosopher? Yes,and was not Hippocrates a physician? But you seehow eloquently Hippocrates expresses himself. DoesHippocrates, then, express himself so eloquently byvirtue of his heing a physician ? Why, then, do youconfuse things that for no particular reason havebeen combined in the same man ? Now if Plato washandsome and strong, oughtI to sit down and striveto become handsome, or become strong, on theassumption that this is necessary for philosophy,because a certain philosopher was at the same timeboth handsome and a philosopher? Are you notwilling to observe and distinguish just what that isby virtue of which men become philosophers, andwhat qualities pertain to them for no particularreason ? Come now, if I were a philosopher, oughtyou to become lame like me ? What then ? Am Idepriving you of these faculties? Far be it fromme ! No more than I am depriving you of the facultyof sight. Yet, if you enquire of me what is man'sgood, 1 can give you no other answer than that itis a kind of moral purpose.CHAPTER IXHow fromthe thesis that we are akin to God may a manproceed to the consequences ?IF what is said by the philosophers regarding thekinship of God and men be true, what other courseremains for men but that which Socrates took whenasked to what country he belonged, never to say" I am an Athenian/' or " I am a Corinthian," butce I am a citizen of the universe " ? For why do you