"Human beings naturally strive for understanding."
Pa/ntej a)/nqrwpoi tou= ei)de/nai o)re/gontai fu/sei.
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I'll place suggestions here, since the Greek text may suitably be added.
Thomas Johansen has drawn attention to Timaeus 88a8-b2:
I would note Philebus 58d4:dittw=n e)piqumiw=n ou)sw=n fu/sei kat' a)nqrw/pouj, dia\ sw=ma me\n trofh=j, dia\ de\ to\ qeio/taton tw=n e)n h(mi=n fronh/sewj
"... since there are two desires natural to human beings, one for nourishment, attributable to the body, the other for wisdom, attributable the most divine element in us ..."
But it is the context of this remark that I find strikingly similar to Met. 1.1. Beginning by drawing a comparison with sight, Socrates argues that that there is a kind of knowledge which, although not useful, surpasses all the others in the clarity, accuracy, and truthfulness of its object (the superlative, a)lhqe/staton... a)ll' ei)/ tij pe/fuke th=j yuxh=j h(mw=n du/namij e)ra=n te tou= a)lhqou=j kai\ pa/nta e(/neka tou/tou pra/ttein....
"... but if some faculty of the soul naturally desires the truth and does everything for the sake of this..."
1 comments:
Timaeus 88a8-b2 bears some similarity.
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