A Passage from Plato's Philebus

Philebus is one of Plato's Socratic dialogues.

The title character barely participates. Socrates duels, rather, with Protarchus. And the central theme of the (wide ranging) discussion is hedonism. To what extent is the good life a life defined by successful pleasure seeking?

The key passage runs thus:

Socrates: Then would you think you needed anything else besides, if you possessed this one blessing [pleasure] in completeness?

Protarchus: Certainly not.

Socrates: Consider what you are saying. You would not need to be wise and intelligent and reasonable, nor anything like this? Would you not even care to keep your sight?

Protarchus: Why should I? I suppose I should have all I want, if I was pleased.

Socrates: Well ... inasmuch as you would not possess intelligence and memory and knowledge and true opinion, you would, in the first place, necessarily be without the knowledge whether you were pleased or not. For you would be devoid of any kind of wisdom. You admit this?

Protarchus: I do, The consequence is absolutely necessary.

Socrates: Well then, despite this not having memory, you must also be unable to remember even that you ever were pleased; of the pleasure which falls upon you at the moment not the least vestige must afterwards remain. And again, not having true opinion, you cannot think you are pleased when you are....You must live the life of an oyster, or of some other of those living creatures, whose home are the seas and whose souls are concealed by shelly bodies. Is all this so, or can we think otherwise than this?

Protarchus: How can we?

Socrates: Well, then, can we think such a life desirable?

Protarchus: Socrates, your reasoning has left me utterly dumb.

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