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The excerpt represents the core issue or deciding factor on which you must meditate, and is drawn from Phaedrus by Plato: that in sober earnest I, having persuaded you of this, went and composed a
speech in honour of an ass, whom I entitled a horse beginning: 'A noble
animal and a most useful possession, especially in war, and you may get on
his back and fight, and he will carry baggage or anything.'
PHAEDRUS: How ridiculous!
SOCRATES: Ridiculous! Yes; but is not even a ridiculous friend better
than a cunning enemy?
PHAEDRUS: Certainly.
SOCRATES: And when the orator instead of putting an ass in the place of a
horse, puts good for evil, being himself as ignorant of their true nature
as the city on which he imposes is ignorant; and having studied the notions
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