Today, I would like to show you the way how Socrates describe an end in the book.

To begin with, please let me ask some questions instead of Socrates. He asks you "Can you see, except with the eye?" The answer is "Certainly not." The next question is "Can you hear, except with the ear?" "No." He continues asking "you can cut off a vine-branch with a dagger or with a chisel, and in many other ways?" It is true. But, you yet cannot cut it off so well as with a pruning-hook made for the purpose. Thus, Socrates explain we could say that this is the end of a pruning-hook.

Socrates concluded that "the end of anything would be that which could not be accomplished, or not so well accomplished." And he proclaim "an end has also an excellence."

Later, he questions "he can the eyes fulfil their end if they are wanting in their own proper excellence and have a defect instead? " That is to say, what he want to summarise is that "the things which fulfil their ends fulfil them by their own proper excellence, and fall of fulfilling them by their own defect."

After that, he moves to the matter about soul. He connects the topic of an end and soul. He wonders that "has not the soul an end which nothing else can fulfil?" He keeps on sying "has not the soul an excellence also?" "When deprived of that excellence, then an evil soul must necessarily be an evil ruler and superintendent, and the good soul a good ruler."

Hopefully, they have admitted that "justice is the excellence of the soul, and injustice the defect of the soul." Then "the just soul and the just man will live well, and the unjust man will live ill."
And now, we found that "he who lives well is blessed and happy, and he who lives ill the reverse of happy."

Like these controversies, Socrates proves his thought and love to argue.

See you,

Misaki