[376a]
Hippias
Yes.Socrates
Whenever, then, it does disgraceful acts, it does them voluntarily, by reason of power and art; and these, either one or both of them, are attributes of justice.Hippias
So it seems.Socrates
And doing injustice is doing evil acts, and not doing injustice is doing good acts.Hippias
Yes.Socrates
Will not, then, the more powerful and better soul, when it does injustice, do it voluntarily, and the bad soul involuntarily?Hippias
Apparently. [376b] Socrates
Is not, then, a good man he who has a good soul, and a bad man he who has a bad one?Hippias
Yes.Socrates
It is, then, in the nature of the good man to do injustice voluntarily, and of the bad man to do it involuntarily, that is, if the good man has a good soul.Hippias
But surely he has.Socrates
Then he who voluntarily errs and does disgraceful and unjust acts, Hippias, if there be such a man, would be no other than the good man.Hippias
I cannot agree with you, Socrates, in that.Socrates
Nor I with myself, Hippias; [376c] but that appears at the moment to be the inevitable result of our argument; however, as I was saying all along, in respect to these matters I go astray, up and down, and never hold the same opinion; and that I, or any other ordinary man, go astray is not surprising; but if you wise men likewise go astray, that is a terrible thing for us also, if even when we have come to you we are not to cease from our straying.
Yes.Socrates
Whenever, then, it does disgraceful acts, it does them voluntarily, by reason of power and art; and these, either one or both of them, are attributes of justice.Hippias
So it seems.Socrates
And doing injustice is doing evil acts, and not doing injustice is doing good acts.Hippias
Yes.Socrates
Will not, then, the more powerful and better soul, when it does injustice, do it voluntarily, and the bad soul involuntarily?Hippias
Apparently. [376b] Socrates
Is not, then, a good man he who has a good soul, and a bad man he who has a bad one?Hippias
Yes.Socrates
It is, then, in the nature of the good man to do injustice voluntarily, and of the bad man to do it involuntarily, that is, if the good man has a good soul.Hippias
But surely he has.Socrates
Then he who voluntarily errs and does disgraceful and unjust acts, Hippias, if there be such a man, would be no other than the good man.Hippias
I cannot agree with you, Socrates, in that.Socrates
Nor I with myself, Hippias; [376c] but that appears at the moment to be the inevitable result of our argument; however, as I was saying all along, in respect to these matters I go astray, up and down, and never hold the same opinion; and that I, or any other ordinary man, go astray is not surprising; but if you wise men likewise go astray, that is a terrible thing for us also, if even when we have come to you we are not to cease from our straying.
