Nicomachides. Will these Athenians never change, Socrates? To go and elect, not me, who has literally worn myself out with military service as a centurion, captain, and now as a colonel! Who has received so many wounds from the enemy?. No, they do not elect not me, but instead elect, Antisthenes — a merchant! Can you believe that! He has never been in the infantry in his life; nor have I ever heard that he accomplished any great feats in the cavalry. No! In fact, he has no real talent at all except to make money.
Socrates. Isn't his ability to make money a point in his favor? Surely, with the money he will be able to provide the troops with all the supplies that they need.
Nicomachides. Merchants are good hands at collecting money; but does that mean a merchant or trader would be able to command an army?
Socrates. But, Antisthenes is a man of great persistence; one who insists on winning, and that is a very necessary quality in a general. Haven't you noticed how each time he has been made chorus manager he has been successful, gaining superiority in each and every chorus?
Nicomachides. Of course I have noticed, but there is a big difference between standing at the head of a band of singers and dancers and standing at the head of a troop of soldiers.
Socrates. Still, without any practical skill in singing or in the training of a chorus, Antisthenes somehow had the art to search out the best masters in these departments.
Nicomachides. Do you mean to infer, Socrates, that the man who finds success as a chorus manager will also find success with the army? Will he find masters to marshal the troops for him and others to fight his battles?
Socrates. If he seeks out the very best men in military affairs, just as he did when finding singers and trainers for his chorus, then it is very likely that he will be victorious. If he was willing to expend so much to win a choir victory for a single tribe, how much more will he expend to bring victory back to an entire state?
Nicomachides. Do you really mean, Socrates, that the same man, using the same functions, can manage a chorus well, and manage an army well?
Socrates. I mean that whatever a man manages, if he knows what he needs and is able to provide it, he will be a good manager — whether he is managing a chorus, a family, a business, or an army.
Nicomachides. I can't believe my ears Socrates! I would never have expected to hear you say that a good business man would make a good general.
Socrates. Let's examine their respective duties, and see if they are the same or different.
Nicomachides. Ok, let's do it.
Socrates. Well then, isn't a common duty of both to secure their command obedient and submissive?
Nicomachides. Certainly.
Socrates. And, shouldn't they also delegate to those best qualified to perform their distinctive tasks?
Nicomachides. Absolutely.
Socrates. Don't they also reprimand the bad and reward the good?
Nicomachides. Decidedly.
Socrates. And, isn't it a noble ambition of both to win the kindly feeling of their subordinates?
Nicomachides. That too.
Socrates. And, do you consider it to the interest of both alike to win the loyalty of supporters and allies?
Nicomachides. Without a doubt.
Socrates. Is it not proper for both also to be careful of their resources?
Nicomachides. Very much so.
Socrates. Then, it equally concerns them both to be attentive and industrious in all of their respective endeavors?
Nicomachides. Yes, all these duties belong to both alike, but the parallel ends when you come to actual fighting.
Socrates. Yet both are sure to have enemies?
Nicomachides. There is no doubt about that.
Socrates. Then, should both be interested in getting the upper hand over these enemies?
Nicomachides. Certainly; but you still haven't told me what service organization and the art of management will be when it comes to actual fighting.
Socrates. Why, it is just at that moment, I believe, that they will be of most service. For the good economist knows that nothing is so advantageous or so lucrative as victory in battle; or, to put it negatively, nothing so disastrous and expensive as defeat. He will enthusiastically seek out and provide everything conducive to victory; he will painstakingly discover and guard against all that tends to defeat; and, when satisfied that all is ready and ripe for victory, he will deliver battle energetically. And, what is equally important, until the hour of final preparation has arrived, he will be cautious to deliver battle.
Do not despise men of economic genius, Nicomachides; the difference between the devotion necessary to private affairs and to affairs of state is merely one of quantity. For the rest, the parallel still holds. Both are concerned with human instruments, for which human beings, moreover, are of one type and temperament, whether we speak of devotion to public affairs or of the administration of private property. To fare well in either case is given to those who know the secret of dealing with humanity; whereas the absence of that knowledge will as certainly imply, in either case, a fatal note of discord.
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I know what I am thinking - Community Organizer and War Hero
