SOCRATES: That is a tremendous class of names which you are
disinterring; still, as I have put on the lion’s skin, I must not be
faint of heart; and I suppose that I must consider the meaning of
wisdom (phronesis) and understanding (sunesis), and judgment (gnome),
and knowledge (episteme), and all those other charming words, as you
call them?
HERMOGENES: Surely, we must not leave off until we find out their
meaning.
SOCRATES: By the dog of Egypt I have a not bad notion which came into
my head only this moment: I believe that the primeval givers of names
were undoubtedly like too many of our modern philosophers, who, in
their search after the nature of things, are always getting dizzy from
constantly going round and round, and then they imagine that the world
is going round and round and moving in all directions; and this
appearance, which arises out of their own internal condition, they
suppose to be a reality of nature; they think that there is nothing
stable or permanent, but only flux and motion, and that the world is
always full of every sort of motion and change. The consideration of
the names which I mentioned has led me into making this reflection.
HERMOGENES: How is that, Socrates?
SOCRATES: Perhaps you did not observe that in the names which have been
just cited, the motion or flux or generation of things is most surely
indicated.
HERMOGENES: No, indeed, I never thought of it.
SOCRATES: Take the first of those which you mentioned; clearly that is
a name indicative of motion.
HERMOGENES: What was the name?