Editing Prodicus (section)

===Ethics===
{{Commons category|Hercules at the crossroads}}
The speech on the [[Hercules at the crossroads|choice of Hercules]]<ref>Philostratus, p. 496; Xenophon, ''Mem.'' ii. 1. § 21</ref> was entitled ''Horai'' ({{langx|grc|Ὧραι}}).<ref>Suda, ''Horai'', ''Prodicus''; Scholium ad Aristoph. ''Nub.'' 1. 360. The meaning of the title is obscure.</ref> Hercules, as he was entering manhood, had to choose one of the two paths of life, that of [[virtue]] and that of [[Hedonism|vice]]. There appeared two women, the one of dignified beauty, adorned with purity, modesty, and discretion, the other of a voluptuous form, and meretricious look and dress. The latter promises to lead him by the shortest road, without any toil, to the enjoyment of every pleasure. The other, while she reminds him of his progenitors and his noble nature, does not conceal from him that the gods have not granted what is really beautiful and good apart from trouble and careful striving. While one seeks to deter him from the path of virtue by urging the difficulty of it; the other calls attention to the unnatural character of enjoyment which anticipates the need of it, its want of the highest joy, that arising from noble deeds, and the consequences of a life of voluptuousness, and how she herself, honoured by gods and men, leads to all noble works, and to true well-being in all circumstances of life. Hercules decides for virtue. This outline in Xenophon probably represents, in a very abbreviated form, the leading ideas of the original, of which no fragments remain.

Another speech, apparently by Prodicus, is mentioned in the spurious Platonic dialogue ''[[Eryxias (dialogue)|Eryxias]]''. Prodicus undertakes to show that the value of external goods depends simply upon the use which is made of them, and that virtue must be learnt. Similar sentiments were expressed in Prodicus's ''Praise of Agriculture''.<ref>Themistius, ''Orat.'' 30</ref> The spurious dialogue ''[[Axiochus (dialogue)|Axiochus]]'' attributes to him views respecting the worthlessness of earthly life in different ages and callings, and how we must long after freedom from connection with the body in the heavenly and cognate [[aether (classical element)|aether]]. Also found here is a doctrine that death is not to be feared, as it affects neither the living nor the departed.<ref>comp. Stobaeus, ''Serm.'' xx. 35</ref>