J. Adam, A. M. Adam, Commentary on Plato, Protagoras
J. Adam & A. M. Adam, Ed.

24. ὡς θαυμάσιοι γίγνονται. The MSS. have ὡς θαυμασίως γίγνονται, which could only mean ‘in what a strange way are produced’—a meaning irrelevant here. The point is that it is θαυμαστόν if ‘good men’—virtue having been proved to be teachable—teach their sons everything except virtue. θαυμάσιοι (with Kroschel and other editors) seems the simplest of the many emendations proposed: cf. Euthyd. 305B θαυμάσιοί εἰσιν οἱ τοιοῦτοι ἄνδρες. The mistake may have arisen from the influence of the common θαυμασίως ὡς. Next best is Hirschig's θαυμασίως γίγνονται ἀγαθοὶ οἱ ἀγαθοὶ (cf. 328Eοὐκ εἶναι ἀνθρωπίνην ἐπιμέλειαν ᾖ ἀγαθοὶ οἱ ἀγαθοὶ γίγνονται) or θαυμασίως γίγνονται οἱ ἀγαθοὶ ἀγαθοί: cf. Meno, 89B οἱ ἀγαθοὶ ἀγαθοὶ γίγνονται and Heindorf's emendation on 326Cbelow. As to γίγνονται ‘Saepius a Platone id quod argumentatione colligitur, γίγνεσθαι dicitur, ut p. 355Aφημὶ ὑμῖν τούτου οὕτως ἔχοντος γελοῖον τὸν λόγον γίγνεσθαι ὅταν λέγητε κτλ., Euthyd. p. 298E οὐκοῦν ὁ κύων πατὴρ ὢν σός ἐστιν, ὥστε σὸς πατὴρ γίγνεται ὁ κύων’ (Kroschel). The same use of γίγνεσθαι is common in Aristotle.

27. τὰ μὲν ἄλλα ἄρα. For the form of the sentence and for ἄρα here and in l. 33 cf. note on Crito, 50E ἢ πρὸς μὲν ἄρα.

28. διδάσκονται (but not of course ἄρα) is interrogative: so οὐ διδάσκονται in l. 33.

29. ἐφ᾽ ᾦ. This, and not ἐφ᾽ ὦν (as asserted by Schanz), is after all the reading of B: see Adamson in Cl. Rev. VII, 445. In itself, ἐφ᾽ ὧν (so T) is not indefensible: ἐφ᾽ ὧν (i.e. ἐπὶ τούτων ἃ） κτλ. would mean ‘in the case of subjects which if they have not learnt’ (μὴ μαθοῦσι), the latent ἅ depending on μαθοῦσι. This use of ἐπὶ with the genitive is common in Plato, e.g. Rep. VII. 524E ὥσπερ ἐπὶ τοῦ δακτύλου ἐλέγομεν. But ἐφ᾽ ᾧ (which Heindorf had already conjectured) is simpler and better. For the misplacement of τε in ἥ τε ζημία see note on 316Dabove.