example, the word Dii Philos; in order to convert this from a sentence
into a noun, we omit one of the iotas and sound the middle syllable
grave instead of acute; as, on the other hand, letters are sometimes
inserted in words instead of being omitted, and the acute takes the
place of the grave.
Her. That is true.
Soc. The name anthropos, which was once a sentence, and is now a noun,
appears to be a case just of this sort, for one letter, which is the
a, has been omitted, and the acute on the last syllable has been
changed to a grave.
Her. What do you mean?
Soc. I mean to say that the word "man" implies that other animals
never examine, or consider, or look up at what they see, but that man
not only sees (opope) but considers and looks up at that which he
sees, and hence he alone of all animals is rightly anthropos, meaning
anathron a opopen.
Her. May I ask you to examine another word about which I am curious?
Soc. Certainly.
Her. I will take that which appears to me to follow next in order. You
know the distinction of soul and body?
Soc. Of course.
Her. Let us endeavour to analyze them like the previous words.
Soc. You want me first of all to examine the natural fitness of the
word psnche (soul), and then of the word soma (body)?
Her. Yes.
Soc. If I am to say what occurs to me at the moment, I should imagine
that those who first use the name psnche meant to express that the
soul when in the body is the source of life, and gives the power of
breath and revival (anapsuchon), and when this reviving power fails
then the body perishes and dies, and this, if I am not mistaken, they
called psyche. But please stay a moment; I fancy that I can discover
something which will be more acceptable to the disciples of Euthyphro,
for I am afraid that they will scorn this explanation. What do you say
to another?
Her. Let me hear.
Soc. What is that which holds and carries and gives life and motion to
the entire nature of the body? What else but the soul?
Her. Just that.
Soc. And do you not believe with Anaxagoras, that mind or soul is the
ordering and containing principle of all things?
Her. Yes; I do.
Soc. Then you may well call that power phuseche which carries and
holds nature (e phusin okei, kai ekei), and this may be refined away
into psuche. Her. Certainly; and this derivation is, I think, more
scientific than the other.
Soc. It is so; but I cannot help laughing, if I am to suppose that
this was the true meaning of the name.
Her. But what shall we say of the next word?
Soc. You mean soma (the body).
Her. Yes.
Soc. That may be variously interpreted; and yet more variously if a
little permutation is allowed. For some say that the body is the grave
(sema) of the soul which may be thought to be buried in our present
life; or again the index of the soul, because the soul gives
indications to (semainei) the body; probably the Orphic poets were the
inventors of the name, and they were under the impression that the
soul is suffering the punishment of sin, and that the body is an
enclosure or prison in which the soul is incarcerated, kept safe
(soma, sozetai), as the name ooma implies, until the penalty is paid;
according to this view, not even a letter of the word need be changed.
Her. I think, Socrates, that we have said enough of this class of
words. But have we any more explanations of the names of the Gods,
like that which you were giving of Zeus? I should like to know whether
any similar principle of correctness is to be applied to them.