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

BOOK II. xvn, 10-17idea of each of these terms ?Very well, is it fittedinto a system and complete? Prove that it is."How shall Iprove it?" Apply it properly tospecific facts. To start with, Plato classifies definitionsunder the preconception "the useful/' but youclassify them under that of "the useless." Is it,then., possible for both of j^ou to be right? Howcan that be ? Does not one man apply his preconceivedidea of "the good" to the fact of wealth,while another does not ? And another to that ofpleasure, and yet another to that of health ? Indeed,to sum up the whole matter, if all of us who havethese terms upon our lips possess no mere emptyknowledge of each one severally, and do not needto devote any pains to the systematic arrangementof our preconceived ideas, why do we disagree, whyfight, why blame one another ?And yet what need is there for me to bringforward now our strife with one another and makemention of that ? Take your own case ;ifyou applyproperly your preconceived ideas, why are youtroubled, 1 why are you hampered ? Let us pass byfor the moment the second field of 2study thatwhich has to do with our choices and the discussionof what is our duty in regard to them. Let us passby also the third that which has to do with ourassents. 1 make you a present of all this. Let usconfine our attention to the first field, one whichallows an almost palpable proof that you do notproperly apply your preconceived ideas. Do youat this moment desire what is possible in generaland what is possible for you in particular? If so,why are you hampered ? Why are you troubled ?Are you not at this moment trying to escape what34 1