263–264
Younger Socrates
Y. Soc. That is true, too.
Stranger
Str. But indeed, my most courageous young friend, perhaps, if there is any other animal capable of thought, such as the crane appears to be, or any other like creature, and it perchance gives names, just as you do, it might in its pride of self oppose cranes to all other animals, and group the rest, men included, under one head, calling them by one name, which might very well be that of beasts. Now let us try to be on our guard against all that sort of thing.
Younger Socrates
Y. Soc. How can we guard against it?
15
Stranger
Str. By not dividing the whole class of living beings, that so we may avoid such errors.
Younger Socrates
Y. Soc. Well, there is no need of dividing the whole.
Stranger
Str. No, certainly not, for it was in that way that we fell into our former error.
Younger Socrates
Y. Soc. What do you mean?
Stranger
Str. That part of intellectual science which involves giving commands was a part of our animal-tending class, with especial reference to animals in herds, was it not?
20
Younger Socrates
Y. Soc. Yes.
Stranger
Str. Well, even at that stage of our discussion all animals had already been divided into tame and wild. For if their nature admits of domestication they are called tame; if it does not, they are called wild.
Younger Socrates
Y. Soc. Excellent.
Stranger
Str. But the science we are hunting for was, and is, to be sought among tame creatures, more specifically creatures in herds.
Younger Socrates
Y. Soc. Yes.
