The Intelligent Troglodyte’s Guide to Plato’s Republic, 2016a

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87 An Emblem of the Soul See 588b-592a. As Book IX draws to a close, Socrates offers us “an image of the soul in words.” We are to imagine the appetitive part as “a many-headed beast with a ring of tame and savage heads that it can grow and change at will.” We are to imagine the spirited part as a lion. And we are to imagine the rational part as a human being (reason being a distinctively human capacity). The appetitive part is “much the largest” of the three, while the rational part is the smallest. All are joined together and set within the “image” of a human being (the human body, presumably). Socrates uses this emblem to reiterate the conclusion of the overall argument, that justice is by its very nature beneficial to a person, and to offer some advice: that we should act so as to put the rational part in control of the soul and get the spirited part to serve as its ally; that we should get the rational part to care for the appetitive part “like a farmer, feeding and domesticating the gentler heads and preventing the savage ones from growing;” and that the result should be friendship among the parts of the soul. Socrates goes on to use the emblem to explain how certain conventional vices such as licentiousness, irascibility, laziness, and slavishness have their roots in injustice. In general, “what is fine is what subordinates the beastlike elements in our nature to the human one – or better, perhaps, to the divine, whereas what is shameful is what enslaves the tame element to the savage.” Why does Socrates call the rational part of the soul “divine”? At 590c-d, Socrates suggests that, in a community, “it is better for everyone to be ruled by a divine and wise ruler – preferably one that is his own and that he has inside himself; otherwise one imposed on him from outside, so that we may all be as alike and as friendly as possible . . .” How much imposition from without would Socrates consider permissible? He says that a person ruled by the appetitive part “should be the slave of that best person who has the divine ruler within himself.” But suppose a city were less than entirely temperate, and the person ruled by the appetitive part were unwilling to subordinate himself in this way. How far would Socrates be
Back willing to go to establish order? He is convinced that the value of true aristocracy would come to be appreciated in the city, eventually and on balance, if not immediately and universally. But in the meantime, what should be done about misfits or malcontents? Does no one in a just society have a right to anti-social opinions and desires, a right to be wrong? There are many stories in the science fiction vein that warn about the threat of corrupt rulers bent on using technology to control people for their lessthan-wisdom-loving purposes. But imagine a perfectly rational and loving overlord were considering the mass distribution of soul-altering “enlightenment pills,” which would enable imperfectly just people to more readily appreciate the nature and value of wisdom. Would it be wrong to make these pills available, free for the taking? Would it be wrong to administer these pills involuntarily? Would it be wrong for parents not to give them to their children?
Page 2 and 3:
The Intelligent Troglodyte’s Guid
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19 Luxuries in the Just City 20 The
Page 6 and 7:
Book IX 80 Lawless Desires 81 The R
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Book I
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Back Is it possible to persuade a
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3 Treasure for Heaven See 329d-331b
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5 The Craft of Justice See 332b-334
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6 Benefiting Friends and Harming En
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7 The Advantage of the Stronger See
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8 The Good Shepherd See 339a-348b.
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9 The Blushing Argument See 348b-35
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10 Function, Virtue, and the Soul S
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Book II
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12 The Social Contract Theory of Ju
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14 The Challenge See 360e-362c. Soc
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15 The Teaching of Justice See 362c
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16 Glaucon’s Lover See 368a. Not
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18 Making the Most of Differences S
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20 The Good Soldier See 374a-376e.
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22 Gods Causing Bad Things See 377d
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23 Gods in Disguise or Speaking Fal
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24 Fear and Grief See 386a-388e. So
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Back Can a distinction be made bet
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27 Narrative Style and Personal Int
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28 The Emotional Power of Tune and
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29 Love of the Fine and Beautiful S
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sexually attractive the lovers may
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31 Doctors and Judges See 405a-410a
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32 Harmony in the Soul See 410a-412
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33 Rulers See 412b-414b. It has bee
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35 Private Property, Private Intere
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36 The City as a Whole See 419a-423
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37 Lawfulness Internalized, Legisla
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38 Wisdom in the City See 427d-429a
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40 Temperance in the City See 430d-
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Back families you may be fortunate
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pleasures of the body, with sensual
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43 The Spirited Part of the Soul Se
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Back sufficient to prove that Socra
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Back appetitive part can be educate
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Book V
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47 The Natures of Men and Women See
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Back Consider school sports teams.
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Back
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50 The Waging of War See 466c-471e.
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51 Philosophers and Knowledge of th
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Back imagined on the other? If so,
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52 The Virtues of the Philosopher S
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Back Is the kind of understanding
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Back Do the people who would make
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Page 104 and 105: 57 The Form of the Good See 504a-50
Page 106 and 107: 58 Every Soul Pursues the Good See
Page 108 and 109: 60 Degrees of Clarity (the Line) Se
Page 110 and 111: Book VII
Page 112 and 113: Back lead them out of the cave? Wh
Page 114 and 115: 63 The Craft of Education See 518b-
Page 116 and 117: 65 Numbers as Summoners See 521c-52
Page 118 and 119: 66 Further Mathematical Studies See
Page 120 and 121: 68 Selecting Students for Philosoph
Page 122 and 123: 70 Completing the Education of the
Page 124 and 125: Book VIII
Page 126 and 127: Back authority, or would it be harm
Page 128 and 129: (chivalry and bushido respectively)
Page 130 and 131: 75 The Oligarchic City See 550c-552
Page 132 and 133: 76 The Oligarchic Soul See 553a-555
Page 134 and 135: 77 The Democratic City See 555b-558
Page 136 and 137: 78 The Democratic Soul See 558c-562
Page 138 and 139: 79 The Tyrannical City See 562a-569
Page 140 and 141: Book IX
Page 142 and 143: 81 The Right Way to Fall Asleep See
Page 144 and 145: Back Imagine a person who is obses
Page 146 and 147: Back What about the democratic cit
Page 148 and 149: 85 The Third Proof: True Pleasures
Page 150 and 151: Back Socrates likens the people wh
Page 154 and 155: 88 Will the Just Person Take Part i
Page 156 and 157: 89 Return to Poetry See 595a. In Bo
Page 158 and 159: truth are highly entertaining. Cons
Page 160 and 161: 92 A Call to Poetry’s Defenders S
Page 162 and 163: 94 The Soul Without Barnacles See 6
Page 164 and 165: 96 Suffering, Philosophy, and the C
Page 166 and 167: INDEX Numbers are to the 96 section
Page 168 and 169: Definition, 4, 5, 6, 7, 17, 29, 38,
Page 170 and 171: 43, 74, 90, 96 Homosexuality, 16 Ho
Page 172 and 173: Painters and painting, 19, 29, 56,
Page 174 and 175: 79, 82, 83 Suffering, 6, 12, 14, 22
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The Intelligent Troglodyte’s Guide to Plato’s Republic, 2016a

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