Our Unnamable Present

Socrates: An image like the ones encountered in ancient mythology, such as Chimera, with parts from a goat, a lion, and a snake; Scylla, a woman, dog, and serpent; and Cerberus, a three-headed dog and snakes, and many others whose bodies contain several images in one. Glaucon: Yes. I’ve heard that many such creatures have existed.

—The Republic, Book IX

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