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[483e] march against Greece, or his father against Scythia? Or take the countless other cases of the sort that one might mention. Why, surely these men follow nature—the nature of right—in acting thus; yes, on my soul, and follow the law1 of nature—though not that, I dare say, which is made by us; we mold the best and strongest amongst us, taking them from their infancy like young lions, and utterly enthral them by our spells


1 Callicles boldly applies the word νόμος, which so far has been used in the sense of man-made law or convention, in its widest sense of “general rule” or “principle.”

Plato. Plato in Twelve Volumes, Vol. 3 translated by W.R.M. Lamb. Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1967.

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  • Commentary references to this page (2):
    • Gonzalez Lodge, Commentary on Plato: Gorgias, 484a
    • Gonzalez Lodge, Commentary on Plato: Gorgias, 516a
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