SOCRATES: Is it very much the case, as we said then, that whether the multitude say so or not, and whether we must suffer more grievous afflictions, or even milder ones, doing injustice is evil in any case, and disgraceful in every way, for the one who acts unjustly? Do we accept this or not?

CRITO: We do.

SOCRATES: So we should never act unjustly?

CRITO: Of course not.

SOCRATES: Nor since we should never act unjustly, should we return an injustice if we are treated unjustly, as most people think?

CRITO: Apparently not.

SOCRATES: What about this, Crito, should we do harm or not?

CRITO: Of course we shouldn’t, Socrates.

SOCRATES: And if we suffer harm, is it just to do harm in return, as most people assert, or is it not just?

CRITO: Not at all.

SOCRATES: Presumably because doing harm to people is no different from acting unjustly.

CRITO: That’s true.

SOCRATES: So we should neither return an injustice nor do harm to any man, regardless of what we suffer at his hands. And take care, Crito, in accepting this, in case you agree to something that goes against your own opinion, since I know that these opinions are held, and will be held, by a few. Now, there is no common counsel between those who hold this view and those who do not, and they must of necessity despise one another when they see one another’s decisions. So you too should consider, very carefully, whether you share this view and agree with it, and we should begin our deliberations from this. Is it never right to do injustice or to return an injustice, or to defend yourself from suffering harm by doing harm in return? Or do you dissent, and do you not share this principle? I have long held this view, and I still do so now, but if you hold a different one speak and explain it. However, if you stand by what we agreed earlier, hear what follows.

Exterminate all homosexuals and fascism will vanish.

I moved to the UP a year ago

From Indiana. Unless you have lived outside the UP, you can’t fully understand just how terrible life outside the UP can be. Recently had to return to Indiana temporarily, and the difference is night and day. There is more lawn space and endless fields of pesticide ridden corn and soy here in IN than forest space, I long to be surrounded by trees again. The rivers and reservoirs are contaminated and foul-smelling, I miss the fresh air and beauty of the pure lakes. It jumped from 80 degrees less than a week ago to 35 again, and it’s giving me whiplash. I miss the steady cold of the UP. It takes 20 minutes and countless turns and trafffic lights to go 8 miles away, compare that to the ease of driving on 41. I cant see most of the constellations because of light pollution, and the noise never ends. Being back here literally fills me with dread.

I may technically never be a yooper, but I hope I can submit this UP appreciation post. It’s truly one of the best places in the USA to live.

Well, I heard that at Naucratis in Egypt there was a certain ancient god of that place, whose sacred bird is the one they call the Ibis, while the name of the divine being himself was Theuth. He was first to discover number and calculation, geometry and astronomy, and also draughts and dice, and of course writing. Now, at that time, Thamus was king of all Egypt round about the great city of the upper region. The Greeks call this city Egyptian Thebes and they refer to Thamus as Ammon. Theuth went to this king to show off his discoveries, and he proposed that they should be passed on to the rest of the Egyptians, and Thamus asked what benefit each of them possessed, and as Theuth explained this he praised whatever seemed worthwhile and criticised whatever did not. Now, Thamus is said to have expressed many views both positive and negative to Theuth about each of the skills, so an account of these would be quite lengthy. But when he came to writing, Theuth said, “This branch of learning, O King, will make the Egyptians wiser and give them better memories, for I have discovered an elixir of both memory and wisdom.” The king replied, “Oh most ingenious Theuth, one man is able to invent these skills, but a different person is capable of judging their benefit or harm to those who will use them. And you, as the father of writing, on account of your positive attitude, are now saying that it does the opposite of what it is able to do. This subject will engender forgetfulness in the souls of those who learn it, for they will not make use of memory. Because of their faith in writing, they will be reminded externally by means of unfamiliar marks, and not from within themselves by means of themselves. So, you have discovered an elixir not of memory but of reminding. You will provide the students with a semblance of wisdom, not true wisdom. For having heard a great deal without any teaching, they will seem to be extremely knowledgeable, when for the most part they are ignorant, and are difficult people to be with because they have attained a seeming wisdom without being wise.”