The notion that human beings are imperfect in many ways and that their perfection requires special means is commonly associated with Plato rather than with Aristotle. Plato not only treats the objects of the material world as deficient copies of their immaterial and eternal models or ‘forms’ in general, but displays a pessimistic view of human nature in particular. It must, of course, remain forever a matter of debate in how far Plato shares the view about the poor natural endowment of human beings that he lets the famous sophist Protagoras pronounce in the dialogue he named after him (Prot. 320c–324d). But there are good reasons for assuming that Plato at least shared the sophist’s diagnosis concerning the natural human endowment in two respects: (i) in comparison with other animals, humans are born in a particularly vulnerable state. They are, by nature, provided neither with food nor with cover nor with the means of self-defence: ‘naked, unshod, unbedded, and unarmed’ (Prot. 321c). According to Protagoras’ myth, the poverty of human nature is compensated for only by the ‘gift of Prometheus’: it is the invention of fire and of certain crafts that ensures the provision of life’s necessities. (ii) The Promethean gift of the crafts alone would have been insufficient to ensure the survival of the human race. The formation of communities, as a means of defence and mutual support, required Zeus’s special gift of ‘political art’. Without the notions of justice and shame, humans would inevitably have destroyed each other. Just like the technical arts, according to the myth in the Protagoras, the social arts are not part of the natural human endowment. Their development presupposes training and teaching over many years. It is a task that requires the joint efforts of the entire community.