Socrates in the beauty contest
Armando Massarenti
Bello was not, and also just washed. Socrates had much to think about. Reflect, think, appunto. Ammaliava giovani e vecchi con i suoi ragionamenti e, soprattutto, dialogava. L’oracolo di Delfi gli aveva rivelato, col suo solito stile enigmatico, che proprio lui era il più sapiente degli uomini. Al momento gli era parso assai strano. Ma, poi, verificato, attraverso il dialogo, quanto poco sapevano di fatto coloro che ostentavano i più diversi saperi, si accorse che lui, rispetto a quelli, almeno sapeva di non sapere.
Un giorno, brutto e trasandato come si presentava di solito, fu sfidato a un concorso di bellezza dall’amico Critobulo. “Partecipo, d’accordo ( rispose ), ma dimmi: che cosa intendi per bellezza? Do you believe that beauty is found only in humans or in other things. " "Even in the horse, the ox, and in many inanimate objects (answered). A shield can be beautiful, and a sword, and an auction. " "Things are so different between them, how is it possible that they are all good?". "If they are well made with respect to uses for which we buy them or if they are naturally suited to what we need, things that are beautiful."
"Well, (then asks Socrates), you know why we need the eyes?". "To see." "If so my eyes are more beautiful than yours. " "Why?". "Your looking straight before them. My hand, as they also look projecting from the side. " "So the most beautiful eyes are those of the crab?". "Sure." "And what of the nose is more beautiful than mine or yours?" Said Critobulo. "The gods have given us to smell (meets Socrates). Your nostrils look towards the ground, my up and can thus accommodate the smells from everywhere. "
And so conversing, until Critobulo surrenders, the crazy disadvantage Calls are thinking of having the worst ratings. He missed the other hand is obviously Socrates. But this testimony of Xenophon, his great admirer, you'll see what it was ironic and witty. Self-mocking, above. Its was all a way to joke about his own ugliness, to the amusement of themselves and present. Not for a moment had taken seriously the idea of \u200b\u200bbeing really considered beautiful. He had simply adopted in a situation so frivolous, the most classic of its methods, the complex mechanism of irony that bears his name.
Socrates knows she is not beautiful. And he knows the definition of beauty data da Critobulo non porta molto lontano. Proprio per questo finge di prenderla massimamente sul serio, perché così, passo dopo passo, riesce a dimostrare artatamente il proprio vantaggio. Sembra uno degli stratagemmi che Aristotele e, molti secoli dopo Schopenhauer, descriveranno nel contesto dell’ eristica, l’arte di ottenere ragione anche quando si ha torto, incuranti dei più elementari principi di correttezza.
Ma il bello è che Socrate qui non sta affatto cercando di avere ragione. Non vuole certo vincere la gara.sta solo approfittando della situazione per divertirsi un po’ e, nello stesso tempo, fare un po’ good philosophy. He wants at least obvious that the winner will realize how far from grasping the true essence of beauty, which can not be defined solely in terms of convenience and utility, under penalty of having to consider a fine as Socrates. Which, incidentally, has always denied knowing anything about any subject he happened to discuss: the virtue, justice, beauty. It was his trademark. Like his ugliness, his humor and his intelligence.