Plato

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Platos Republic

• Books 9 - 10

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I. Overview

• Recap
• The Philosopher and the City
• The Cave
• So What?
• Autonomy Political Authority
• Tyrannical vs Philosophical Lives

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I. Recap

• Guardians can make sure you perform your jobs
  correctly -- (contra freedom)
• Celebration of freedom increases only when
  distinction between Right/Wrong decreases.
• If we truly care about morality, then we will
  want to limit individual freedom

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II. The Philosopher The CityAllegory of the
Cave
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II. The Philosopher The CityAllegory of the
Cave

• Allegory of The Cave (VII, 514a-518)

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II. The Philosopher The CityAllegory of the
Cave

• Point of the story?
• Plato suggesting that it is wrong to treat best
  moral specimen as equal to average ditch digger
• Tie to Platos defense of Socrates
• Athens needed to tolerate Socrates
• Note, philosopher has nothing to gain by going
  back to rule city philosopher must be forced to
  rule

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II. The Philosopher The CityAllegory of the
Cave

• So What?
• How would ideal city come about?
• Philosopher would have to convince city that they
  need philosophers to rule, and philosophers dont
  want to rule
• Not likely proposition -- city in speech unlikely
  to come up
• So no major problem, right?

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II. The Philosopher The CitySo What?

• What is at issue between city and philosopher?
• Philosopher assumes that nothing can be accepted
  without question
• Philosophy undermines the necessary
  social/cultural mores of city since

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III. Autonomy Political Authority

• We need to figure things out for ourselves -- do
  the right thing for the right reason
• But lawgiver (political authority) depends on our
  unreflected acceptance of authority
• Authority means doing whatever lawgiver says
  without questioning. Not making decision based
  on our own reason
• Political association is based on authority

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III. Autonomy Political Authority

• Cant both think for yourself and have political
  authority
• Tension between being good citizen and good
  person
• We cant say so what because the plight of
  Socrates is our plight

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III. Autonomy Political Authority

• How to assess which should come first in guiding
  our behavior?
• Myth of Er
• Moral man should tell city to take a hike, since
  soul is more important than city

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IV. Philosophical vs. Tyrannical Lives

• Why not become a tyrant since city is trying to
  tyrannize us?
• Answer is not based on altruism (do it because
  its good for everyone else, even if it does mean
  sacrificing me)
• Tyrant is the biggest slave of all because

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IV. Philosophical vs. Tyrannical Lives

• Tyrant is slave to other people
• Tyrant is subordinate of people he is enslaving
  since he needs to buy off henchmen to enslave
  other
• Needs to make it worthwhile for henchmen to do
  his bidding

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IV. Philosophical vs. Tyrannical Lives

• Tyrant is attempting self-defeating enterprise
• tyrant is governed by spirited part of soul
• cant stand appearing subordinate, so he/she
  wants to be experienced in a certain way
• wants to reduce everyone to Lowest Common
  Denominator
• but that would mean he would get recognition of a
  bunch of bozos (i.e., people for whom he has no
  respect)
• anyone who could appreciate his virtue would need
  to be killed as rival

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IV. Philosophical vs. Tyrannical Lives

• Not only is the tyrant
• A slave to other people and
• Engaged in a silly self-defeating enterprise, but
  

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IV. Philosophical vs. Tyrannical Lives

• Slave to own passions
• if freedom means doing what you want to do, then
  the tyrant isnt free
• philosopher is free because he is slave only to
  reason

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IV. Philosophical vs. Tyrannical Lives
Tyrants Life
Makes choices at specific moments in life, but
never reflects on the overall quality of that life
Life choices
Philosophers Life
Reflects on the kind of life one ought to live
and then lives it
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IV. Philosophical vs. Tyrannical Lives

• Lifestyle choice
• Freedom is doing what you want to do upon
  reflection, not what want to do particular
  moments
• Thats impossible when either the spirited or
  appetitive part of the soul dominates

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IV. Philosophical vs. Tyrannical Lives

• To return to Socrates, Socrates most free because
  he is living the kind of life he most wants to
  live, it is an expression of his own informed
  choices
• You could not choose to be any different than
  Socrates if you want freedom
• Thats the final apology for Socrates

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Coming Attractions

• Start on Aristotle