230 l/-95
before he has a grasp are traits of the hasty and base man, and are not
attributes of the man of natural ability who is perfect [complete] and
virtuous. Nor does anything escape his notice, for to fail to notice is to
have a belief which asserts a false thing. 56
Following on these traits, he is not distrustful, for distrust is a belief
in a falsehood; and trust is a virtuous thing, for it is a strong grasp
which secures what is believed. Similarly, knowledge is unchangeable by
argument; and that is why they say that the base man neither knows nor
trusts in anything. Consequently, the wise man is not greedy nor does he
cheat or deliberately miscount (nor does anyone cheat him by miscounting
either); for all of these involve deception and commitment to falsehoods
about the topic in question. And none of the virtuous men makes a
mistake about about the road or his house or his target. But they believe
that the wise man neither mis-sees nor mis-hears nor, generally, makes
a mistake when using any of his sense-organs; for they believe that each
of these depends on false assent. Nor does the wise man make conjectural
interpretations, for a conjectural interpretation is in the class of assent
to something which is not grasped. Nor do they suppose that the sensible
man changes his mind, for changing one's mind depends on false assent,
any respect or shift his position or err. For all of these are characteristic
of those who change their doctrines, and that is alien to the sensible man.
Nor, they say, does he have any opinions similar to those discussed.
11n. They believe that a wise man does not at first notice that he is
becoming one, nor does he strive for anything or believe that he wishes
any of the special objects of wishing; [this is] because he does not judge
that he has the requirements. Such distinctions also apply in the case of
the other crafts, and not just to prudence.
llo. Since all [moral] mistakes and [morally] perfect actions are equal,
all imprudent men are also equally imprudent, since they possess a
disposition which is equal and identical. Although all [moral] mistakes
are equal, there are some differences among them, in so far as some come
from a hardened disposition which is difficult to cure and some do not.
11 p. And some virtuous men are better than others at encouraging
[people to virtue] and persuading them; again, some are more quick-
witted than others, the increases being a result of the inclusion of interme-
diate steps.
llq. Only the virtuous man has good children, though not all have
virtuous children since it is necessary for him who has good children to
- A difficult sentence. Alternatively, one might emend apophantike to apophatike and
translate: for failure to notice is a belief in a falsehood which [implicitly] denies a fact.