Plato's Laches

By Platon

Laches, a general in the Athenian army, saw Socrates fight bravely in the battle of Delium. When he and Nicias, another general, are asked to explain the idea of courage, they are at a loss and words fail them. How does courage differ from thoughtless and reckless audacity? Can a lion be said to be courageous? What about small children who have little idea of the dangers they face? Should we call people courageous who do not know whether their bravery will produce good or bad consequences? What kind of education and training promotes both courage and goodness in people, whether they are young or old? Plato constantly presents courage as an essential quality for all who seek to live a good life, so what does it mean when even the bravest leaders of Athens cannot tell us what courage really is?-

• Language: English
• Publisher: SAGA Egmont
• Release date: Jul 30, 2020
• ISBN: 9788726627558

Platon

Platon wird 428 v. Chr. in Athen geboren. Als Sohn einer Aristokratenfamilie erhält er eine umfangreiche Ausbildung und wird im Alter von 20 Jahren Schüler des Sokrates. Nach dessen Tod beschließt Platon, sich der Politik vollständig fernzuhalten und begibt sich auf Reisen. Im Alter von ungefähr 40 Jahren gründet er zurück in Athen die berühmte Akademie. In den folgenden Jahren entstehen die bedeutenden Dialoge, wie auch die Konzeption des „Philosophenherrschers“ in Der Staat. Die Philosophie verdankt Platon ihren anhaltenden Ruhm als jene Form des Denkens und des methodischen Fragens, dem es in der Theorie um die Erkenntnis des Wahren und in der Praxis um die Bestimmung des Guten geht, d.h. um die Anleitung zum richtigen und ethisch begründeten Handeln. Ziel ist immer, auf dem Weg der rationalen Argumentation zu gesichertem Wissen zu gelangen, das unabhängig von Vorkenntnissen jedem zugänglich wird, der sich auf die Methode des sokratischen Fragens einläßt.Nach weiteren Reisen und dem fehlgeschlagenen Versuch, seine staatstheoretischen Überlegungen zusammen mit dem Tyrannen von Syrakus zu verwirklichen, kehrt Platon entgültig nach Athen zurück, wo er im Alter von 80 Jahren stirbt.

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Platon

Plato’s Laches

Translated by Albert A. Anderson

SAGA Egmont

Plato’s Laches

Albert A. Anderson

Λάχης

Copyright © 5-4th century BC, 2020 Plato and SAGA Egmont

All rights reserved

ISBN: 9788726627558

1. e-book edition, 2020

Format: EPUB 2.0

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Laches

Characters

Lysimachus, son of Aristides

Melesias, son of Thucydides

Nicias, Athenian General

Laches, Athenian General

Socrates

[178] Lysimachus: Nicias and Laches, now you have seen this man demonstrate fighting in heavy armor, but we have not told you why Melesias and I urged you to join us in watching him. The time has come for us to explain. We would like to ask for your advice, because we trust that you will be frank with us. Some people scoff at the idea of advising others and say what they believe you want to hear rather than what they really think. We decided to consult you because we know that you will not only form a sound judgment but will honestly tell us what that judgment is. For this reason we ask both you to join our discussion about the following matter: [179] We each have a son; that one is named Thucydides after his grandfather, and this one is my son, who is called Aristides after my father. We are both determined to provide the best possible care for them rather than letting them do whatever they wish, as people often do when their children begin to grow up. We think this is the right time to do everything we can to give them a good start. We know you also have sons, so we thought you might have decided on the best kind of nurture to make them as good as possible. If by chance you paid little attention to that question, we thought it best to remind you about it and encourage you to join us in fulfilling a responsibility we share.

You should hear how we arrived at our conclusion, even if it takes more time. Melesias and I have the honor of eating together at the public table, and our sons eat with us. To be frank, even though we both have many great things to say to them about what our fathers did in times of war and peace, as administrators of this city and in the affairs of our allies, neither of us has anything to say about our own work. That embarrasses us, and we blame our fathers for allowing us to live a soft life