of phenomena. And the world if not a believer in the idea cannot be a
philosopher, and must therefore be a persecutor of philosophers. There
is another evil:--the world does not like to lose the gifted nature, and
so they flatter the young (Alcibiades) into a magnificent opinion of his
own capacity; the tall, proper youth begins to expand, and is dreaming
of kingdoms and empires. If at this instant a friend whispers to
him, 'Now the gods lighten thee; thou art a great fool' and must be
educated--do you think that he will listen? Or suppose a better sort of
man who is attracted towards philosophy, will they not make Herculean
efforts to spoil and corrupt him? Are we not right in saying that the
love of knowledge, no less than riches, may divert him? Men of this
class (Critias) often become politicians--they are the authors of
great mischief in states, and sometimes also of great good. And thus
philosophy is deserted by her natural protectors, and others enter in
and dishonour her. Vulgar little minds see the land open and rush from
the prisons of the arts into her temple. A clever mechanic having a
soul coarse as his body, thinks that he will gain caste by becoming her
suitor. For philosophy, even in her fallen estate, has a dignity of her
own--and he, like a bald little blacksmith's apprentice as he is, having
made some money and got out of durance, washes and dresses himself as a
bridegroom and marries his master's daughter. What will be the issue of
such marriages? Will they not be vile and bastard, devoid of truth
and nature? 'They will.' Small, then, is the remnant of genuine
philosophers; there may be a few who are citizens of small states, in
which politics are not worth thinking of, or who have been detained by
Theages' bridle of ill health; for my own case of the oracular sign is
almost unique, and too rare to be worth mentioning. And these few when
they have tasted the pleasures of philosophy, and have taken a look at
that den of thieves and place of wild beasts, which is human life,
will stand aside from the storm under the shelter of a wall, and try to
preserve their own innocence and to depart in peace. 'A great work, too,
will have been accomplished by them.' Great, yes, but not the greatest;
for man is a social being, and can only attain his highest development
in the society which is best suited to him.

Enough, then, of the causes why philosophy has such an evil name.
Another question is, Which of existin