Plato
The Republic
“Come off it Socrates, we're not pigs!”
igsville? Come off it, says Glaucon, you're describing a city fit only for pigs! (Joking about Socrates' reference to the only fun his Ideal Citizens would have - sitting around the fire roasting acorns.) Can't we have a "modern" city with a bit of comfort and luxury? Certainly says Socrates (if you must) - but what are the implications? Our polis (Mark II) will have to be much bigger, with many more professions (including pig-farmers and butchers!) - it will need more land to support them, and the only way to get that will be to take it from our neighbours. Thus we should need to go to war: and our army (because of the "1 man 1 job" principle) will have to have full-time soldiers - whom Socrates calls Guardians.
What will the Guardians be like? They need the same qualities as a good watchdog, which seems to be instinctively gentle to friends and fierce to enemies. But how does it tell the difference between a friend and an enemy? If it can tell good from bad, it must be a bit of a philosopher. It must actually know the difference. Since to do its job a watchdog needs knowledge, it must truly be a "lover of wisdom" (which is what "philosopher" means in Greek). Therefore our Guardians will need to be philosophers. [Wow! luxury > more land > war > soldiers > philosophers?]
Hang on - how do you make soldiers into philosophers? ![[Next Page?]](next.gif)