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

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10 Function, Virtue, and the Soul See 350d-354c. Notice in particular how Socrates uses the terms “function” and “virtue.” These terms (ergon and arete) were a perfectly standard way in Plato’s day to talk about the goodness of things. The function of a thing is the thing’s characteristic activity. The function of a knife, for instance, is to cut. The virtue or excellence of a thing is the quality that enables the thing to perform its function well. Some of the virtues of a knife are therefore being sharp, being hard, and having a handle that is easy to grasp firmly. Or consider an organ of the body such as the eye. Its function is to enable us to see. Its virtues are therefore those qualities that enable us to see well at various distances, under various lighting conditions, and so on. Now in this passage Socrates suggests that the human soul (psyche), the conscious, active aspect of a person, has a function: “taking care of things, ruling, deliberating, and all other such things,” or more generally, “living.” Human virtue is therefore whatever enables us to carry out our function well. Recalling that they had identified human virtue as justice (335c), Socrates concludes that it is justice that enables us to live well. Do you agree that your soul has a function, an activity characteristic of the kind of thing you are? Are you, in this respect, like a knife or an eye? If there is something you are for, then what is it? What kind of a thing are you? What would it be to do the human-being-thing well? Are there human virtues, in the classical Greek sense? If we are the sort of thing that has a function, do we all have the same function? Do people with considerable brain damage, for instance, have the same function (and the same corresponding virtues) as people whose brains are healthy? Do men have the same function and virtues as women? Do people in our day have the same function and virtues as people thousands of years ago? What about thieves? Do thieves have a function different from other people? Socrates suggests at 351c-d that justice is necessary even in a band of thieves if they are to be successful in achieving their ends. (There may
Back be no honor among thieves, but there has to be a certain amount of “friendship and a sense of common purpose.”) Would Thrasymachus consider thief-justice a virtue?
Page 2 and 3: The Intelligent Troglodyte’s Guid
Page 4 and 5: 19 Luxuries in the Just City 20 The
Page 6 and 7: Book IX 80 Lawless Desires 81 The R
Page 8 and 9: Book I
Page 10 and 11: Back Is it possible to persuade a
Page 12 and 13: 3 Treasure for Heaven See 329d-331b
Page 14 and 15: 5 The Craft of Justice See 332b-334
Page 16 and 17: 6 Benefiting Friends and Harming En
Page 18 and 19: 7 The Advantage of the Stronger See
Page 20 and 21: 8 The Good Shepherd See 339a-348b.
Page 22 and 23: 9 The Blushing Argument See 348b-35
Page 26 and 27: Book II
Page 28 and 29: 12 The Social Contract Theory of Ju
Page 30 and 31: 14 The Challenge See 360e-362c. Soc
Page 32 and 33: 15 The Teaching of Justice See 362c
Page 34 and 35: 16 Glaucon’s Lover See 368a. Not
Page 36 and 37: 18 Making the Most of Differences S
Page 38 and 39: 20 The Good Soldier See 374a-376e.
Page 40 and 41: 22 Gods Causing Bad Things See 377d
Page 42 and 43: 23 Gods in Disguise or Speaking Fal
Page 44 and 45: 24 Fear and Grief See 386a-388e. So
Page 46 and 47: Back Can a distinction be made bet
Page 48 and 49: 27 Narrative Style and Personal Int
Page 50 and 51: 28 The Emotional Power of Tune and
Page 52 and 53: 29 Love of the Fine and Beautiful S
Page 54 and 55: sexually attractive the lovers may
Page 56 and 57: 31 Doctors and Judges See 405a-410a
Page 58 and 59: 32 Harmony in the Soul See 410a-412
Page 60 and 61: 33 Rulers See 412b-414b. It has bee
Page 62 and 63: 35 Private Property, Private Intere
Page 64 and 65: 36 The City as a Whole See 419a-423
Page 66 and 67: 37 Lawfulness Internalized, Legisla
Page 68 and 69: 38 Wisdom in the City See 427d-429a
Page 70 and 71: 40 Temperance in the City See 430d-
Page 72 and 73: Back families you may be fortunate
Page 74 and 75:
pleasures of the body, with sensual
Page 76 and 77:
43 The Spirited Part of the Soul Se
Page 78 and 79:
Back sufficient to prove that Socra
Page 80 and 81:
Back appetitive part can be educate
Page 82 and 83:
Book V
Page 84 and 85:
47 The Natures of Men and Women See
Page 86 and 87:
Back Consider school sports teams.
Page 88 and 89:
Back
Page 90 and 91:
50 The Waging of War See 466c-471e.
Page 92 and 93:
51 Philosophers and Knowledge of th
Page 94 and 95:
Back imagined on the other? If so,
Page 96 and 97:
52 The Virtues of the Philosopher S
Page 98 and 99:
Back Is the kind of understanding
Page 100 and 101:
Back Do the people who would make
Page 102 and 103:
Back provided to ordinary students?
Page 104 and 105:
57 The Form of the Good See 504a-50
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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 152 and 153:
87 An Emblem of the Soul See 588b-5
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88 Will the Just Person Take Part i
Page 156 and 157:
89 Return to Poetry See 595a. In Bo
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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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