Theaetetus (176E-177B)
Socrates argues that wrongdoing carries an unavoidable penalty not reducible to scourging or death: unjust people assimilate themselves to the godless and wretched pattern of life rather than to the blessed divine one. In his account, foolishness prevents such people from recognizing that their unrighteous acts make them resemble the worse of these two patterns, so their punishment consists in living among evils and people like themselves and, unless they abandon their unscrupulous “cleverness,” being excluded after death from the blessed place that is pure of evil. Socrates adds that they initially dismiss this warning as foolish talk, yet when compelled to defend their doctrines in sustained personal argument rather than escape through rhetorical maneuvering, they eventually become dissatisfied with themselves, their eloquence withers, and they appear no better than children. He then identifies this line of thought as a digression and begins to turn back to the main argument, which continues beyond the visible page.