διάνοια: i.e. the inner activity of the soul itself, its reasoning, thinking; hence it is often used for the mode of thought, the disposition, and even for the soul itself.
εἰ οὖν παρεκαλοῦμεν κτἑ.: by a series of analogies Socrates tries to show that the profession of statecraft implies various preliminary qualifications, and that the incipient statesman ought to be subjected to an examination as to his education and previous habits, instead of following the Athenian practice. Cf. Prot. 319 d ἐπειδὰν δέ τι περὶ τῶν τῆς πόλεως διοικήσεως δέῃ βουλεύσασθαι, συμβουλεύει αὐτοῖς ἀνιστάμενος περὶ τούτων ὁμοίως μὲν τέκτων, ὁμοίως δὲ χαλκεὺς σκυτοτόμος, ἔμπορος ναύκληρος, πλούσιος πένης, γενναῖος ἀγεννής, καὶ τούτοις οὐδεὶς ἐπιπλήττει ὅτι οὐδαμόθεν μαθὼν οὐδὲ ὄντος διδασκάλου οὐδενὸς αὐτῷ, ἔπειτα συμβουλεύειν ἐπιχειρεῖ, Xen. Mem. iv. 2. 1-7.
δημοσίᾳ πράξοντες: almost equivalent to δημοσιεύοντες. —
τῶν πραγμάτων: must be considered as part. gen. after δημοσίᾳ πράξοντες, and is not to be construed with the following clause, with Cron.
ἢ τειχῶν ἢ νεωρίων ἢ ἱερῶν: these are themselves the greatest public works, but the addition of μέγιστα serves to emphasize the importance of the matter and the responsibility of the person.
πότερον: the second member of the double question is found in the ἢ οὔ which follows the repeated ἔδει ἄν below.
ἔδει ἄν: instead of ἔδει, shows that the whole condition is purely fictitious and unreal. The simple ἔδει would have drawn attention only to the inf. GMT. 423.
