The gift of Theuth
SocratesThey say Thamus had much to say to Theuth about the merits and faults of every art, more than we could recount. When they came to writing, Theuth said, “My king, this learning will make Egyptians wiser and better able to remember. I have found a remedy for memory and wisdom.” The king replied, “Most ingenious Theuth, one person can give birth to an art, another can judge how much harm or benefit it will bring those who use it. And now you, the father of letters, have been led by your affection for them to claim the opposite of what they do. Those who learn them will neglect their memory, and forgetfulness will grow in their souls. Trusting written marks, they will call things to mind from outside, through signs made by others, instead of remembering from within for themselves. You have found a remedy not for memory but for reminding. You offer your pupils the appearance of wisdom, not the real thing. They will hear many things without being taught and seem widely knowledgeable, while most of them know nothing. They will be hard to live with: men with the reputation of wisdom in place of wise men.”
PhaedrusSocrates, how easily you invent tales of Egyptians, or of anyone else you please!
SocratesYet, my friend, people said the first prophecies at the shrine of Zeus in Dodona came from an oak tree. Those people of old were not as wise as you young men. In their simplicity they were content to listen to an oak or a stone, provided it spoke the truth. For you, perhaps, it matters who speaks and where he comes from. Surely you do not look only at whether what he says is true?
PhaedrusYou were right to rebuke me. I think writing is just as the man of Thebes says.