sophist   

Str. And two out of these three suppositions have been found to be
impossible.
Theaet. Yes.
Str. Every one then, who desires to answer truly, will adopt the
third and remaining hypothesis of the communion of some with some.
Theaet. Quite true.
Str. This communion of some with some may be illustrated
by the case
of letters; for some letters do not fit each other, while others do.
Theaet. Of course.
Str. And the vowels, especially, are a sort of bond which pervades
all the other letters, so that without a vowel one consonant
cannot be
joined to another.
Theaet. True.
Str. But does every one know what letters will unite with what? Or
is art required in order to do so?
Theaet. What is required.
Str. What art?
Theaet. The art of grammar.
Str. And is not this also true of sounds high and low?-Is
not he who
has the art to know what sounds mingle, a musician, and he who is
ignorant, not a musician?
Theaet. Yes.
Str. And we shall find this to be generally true of art or the
absence of art.
Theaet. Of course.
Str. And as classes are admitted by us in like manner to be some
of them capable and others incapable of intermixture, must not he
who would rightly show what kinds will unite and what will not,
proceed by the help of science in the path of argument? And will he
not ask if the connecting links are universal, and so capable of
intermixture with all things; and again, in divisions, whether there
are not other universal classes, which make them possible?
Theaet. To be sure he will require science, and, if I am not
mistaken, the very greatest of all sciences.
Str. How are we to call it? By Zeus, have we not lighted
unwittingly
upon our free and noble science, and in looking for the Sophist have
we not entertained the philosopher unawares?
Theaet. What do you mean?
Str. Should we not say that the division according to
classes, which
neither makes the same other, nor makes other the same, is the
business of the dialectical science?
Theaet. That is what we should say.
Str. Then, surely, he who can divide rightly is able to see
clearly one form pervading a scattered multitude, and many different
forms contained under one higher form; and again, one form knit
together into a single whole and pervading many such wholes, and
many forms, existing only in separation and isolation. This is the
knowledge of classes which determines where they can have communion
with one another and where not.
Theaet. Quite true.
Str. And the art of dialectic would be attributed by you
only to the
philosopher pure and true?
Theaet. Who but he can be worthy?
Str. In this region we shall always discover the philosopher, if
we look for him; like the Sophist, he is not easily discovered, but
for a different reason.
Theaet. For what reason?
Str. Because the Sophist runs away into the darkness of not-being,