上句见：Day274
The Story of Philosophy《哲学的故事》第1章Plato第4节IV. The Ethical Problem第6段第8句：
How does Socrates — i.e., Plato — meet the challenge of this theory? At first he does not meet it at all. He points out that justice is a relation among individuals, depending on social organization; and that in consequence it can be studied better as part of the structure of a community than as a quality of personal conduct. If, he suggests, we can picture a just state, we shall be in a better position to describe a just individual. Plato excuses himself for this digression on the score that in testing a man's vision we make him read first large type, then smaller; so he argues, it is easier to analyze justice on a large scale than on the small scale of individual behavior. But we need not be deceived: in truth the Master is patching two books together, and uses the argument as a seam. He wishes not only to discuss the problems of personal morality, but the problems of social and political reconstruction as well. He has a Utopia up his sleeve, and is resolved to produce it. It is easy to forgive him, for the digression forms the core and value of his book.
浙江大学译本：原谅他的这点牵强实在很容易，因为这番离题的话恰恰是他整本书的核心和价值所在。
解析
1、 It is easy to forgive him, for the digression forms the core and value of his book.
原谅他实属容易，因为这番离题恰恰是他整本书的核心和价值所在。
这句话让我们知道书的核心和价值所在。那就是乌托邦社会。
整段
又一段结束了，整段中的句子都偏简短。它由一个问题的问答组成。书中的苏格拉底借这个问题（个人道德层面）转到另一问题（社会与政治层面），将暗藏的乌托邦展现在书中。
苏格拉底，也就是柏拉图，是如何应对这一理论的挑战的呢？起初，他根本没直接应对。他提议，如果我们能构想一个正义的国家，那么我们就能更好地描述一个正义的个体。柏拉图为自己的离题行为辩解，理由是在测试一个人视力时，我们会先让他读大字，然后再读小字；所以他认为，从大的层面分析要比从小规模的个人行为层面分析要来得更容易。但我们不应被骗：事实上，这位大师是用这个论点作为衔接将两本书拼凑起来。他不仅希望探讨个人道德问题，还希望探讨社会与政治重建问题。他暗中怀揣着一个乌托邦的构想，并且决心将其呈现出来。原谅他实属容易，因为这番离题恰恰是他整本书的核心和价值所在。
