I think that you are referring to this quote "And the arts of measuring and numbering and weighing come to the rescue of the human understanding -- there is the beauty of them -- and the apparent greater or less, or more or heavier, no longer have the mastery over us, but give way before calculation and measure and weight?"
From "The Republic by Plato; Book X, Socrates"
...but if you want a discussion of the /meaning/ of the quote, then that is a much larger discussion, and must take into account the entire Socratic discussion involving such abstractions as the soul, justice, and poetry. I have always thought that one of the greater weaknesses of the US culture (though I suppose that we are not alone in this) is that it does not question the meaning of itself in the manner of the questioning of Socrates. I believe that such introspective questioning inevitably leads to advances in civilization, but that, too, is a very large conversation. In particular, I opine that the question of justice is one of vital importance to the well-being of any social group, from the family to the world community, and have always enjoyed contemplating its discussion in Plato's books.
Rich
http://www.downeastengineering.com/
