| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from The Economist by Xenophon: endeavour on your side to continue the discussion of economy from the
point at which you broke off, and bring it point by point to its
conclusion? What you have said so far has not been thrown away on me.
I seem to discern already more clearly, what sort of behaviour is
necessary to anything like real living.[2]
[1] Lit. "with the gods," and for the sentiment see below, x. 10;
"Cyrop." III. i. 15; "Hipparch," ix. 3.
[2] For {bioteuein} cf. Pind. "Nem." iv. 11, and see Holden ad loc.
Socrates replied: What say you then? Shall we first survey the ground
already traversed, and retrace the steps on which we were agreed, so
that, if possible we may conduct the remaining portion of the argument
|
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Last War: A World Set Free by H. G. Wells: they said to them; "don't inflict vision upon us, spare our
little ways of life from the fearful shaft of understanding. But
do tricks for us, little limited tricks. Give us cheap lighting.
And cure us of certain disagreeable things, cure us of cancer,
cure us of consumption, cure our colds and relieve us after
repletion...." We have changed all that, Gardener. Science is no
longer our servant. We know it for something greater than our
little individual selves. It is the awakening mind of the race,
and in a little while----In a little while----I wish indeed I
could watch for that little while, now that the curtain has
risen....
The Last War: A World Set Free |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Divine Comedy (translated by H.F. Cary) by Dante Alighieri: Of goodness, and in his account most priz'd,
Was liberty of will, the boon wherewith
All intellectual creatures, and them sole
He hath endow'd. Hence now thou mayst infer
Of what high worth the vow, which so is fram'd
That when man offers, God well-pleas'd accepts;
For in the compact between God and him,
This treasure, such as I describe it to thee,
He makes the victim, and of his own act.
What compensation therefore may he find?
If that, whereof thou hast oblation made,
The Divine Comedy (translated by H.F. Cary) |
