399–400
Socrates
Socrates. I will tell you. The name man (ἄνθρωπος) indicates that the other animals do not examine, or consider, or look up at (ἀναθρεῖ) any of the things that they see, but man has no sooner seen—that is, ὄπωπε—than he looks up at and considers that which he has seen. Therefore of all the animals man alone is rightly called man (ἄνθρωπος), because he looks up at (ἀναθρεῖ) what he has seen (ὄπωπε).
Hermogenes
Hermogenes. Of course. May I ask you about the next word I should like to have explained?
Socrates
Socrates. Certainly.
Hermogenes
Hermogenes. It seems to me to come naturally next after those you have discussed. We speak of man’s soul and body.
10
Socrates
Socrates. Yes, of course.
Hermogenes
Hermogenes. Let us try to analyze these, as we did the previous words.
Socrates
Socrates. You mean consider soul (ψυχή) and see why it is properly called by that name, and likewise body (σῶμα)?
Hermogenes
Hermogenes. Yes.
Socrates
Socrates. To speak on the spur of the moment, I think those who gave the soul its name had something of this sort in mind: they thought when it was present in the body it was the cause of its living, giving it the power to breathe and reviving it (ἀναψῦχον), and when this revivifying force fails, the body perishes and comes to an end therefore, I think, they called it ψυχή. But—please keep still a moment. I fancy I see something which will carry more conviction to Euthyphro and his followers; for I think they would despise this attempt and would consider it cheap talk. Now see if you like the new one.
15
Hermogenes
Hermogenes. I am listening.
