Hello, I'm Dr. Anadale and I teach
philosophy at Mount St. Mary's
University in Emmitsburg, Maryland.
In this video I will outline the structure
of the first third of Republic, Book 1,
and give you some things to watch for as
you read. The central question of
Republic is "What is justice?"
In answering this question
Socrates describes the well-governed
city. His answer covers: the way the young
should be educated, what roles people
should play, and who should rule.
But Socrates also discusses why the just
person is always happier than the unjust
person. He also talks about the nature of
the soul and its justice, and gives a
sweeping metaphysical picture that helps
us to understand our relationship to truth.
As you read keep in mind that
Plato thinks reason can rule all things,
including our own lives. Each part of the
conversation illustrates a way reason can
guide your life. As Plato's reader you
should decide whether what he says is
true, where this involves, as far as possible,
finding justice in your own soul.
If you let it, this can become one of the most
influential books you will ever read,
as it has been for many others before you.
Book One introduces the central
characters and questions of Republic, and
touches on many themes that Plato will
develop in later books. Socrates begins
by telling us that he attended a
festival at Piraeus, the seedy port town
outside of Athens. As he is heading home
his friend Polemarchus catches up with
him and talks him into lingering for a bit.
The first significant conversation is
between Socrates and an older man,
Cephalus. They talk about old age and
physical pleasure and Socrates suggests
that Cephalus is only able to enjoy his
old age because he is wealthy.
Cephalus' response suggests that he
thinks both goodness and wealth are necessary for happiness in old age.
At 330d Socrates asks Cephalus: "What do you
think is the greatest good you have
enjoyed as the result of being very
wealthy?" Cephalus replies: wealth makes
it easier to be just. It helps you to
avoid lying, cheating, and stealing.
This launches a quest for the proper
definition of justice, which is going to
involve a discussion among all the other
men gathered around Socrates. Proposed
definitions include: justice is telling
the truth and paying debts, justice is
giving to each what he is owed, and
justice is helping your friends and
harming your enemies. Socrates points out
problems with all these definitions, of course.
Look for the objections and
counter-examples he gives when
considering each definition. Two more
important points come out during this
discussion. First, Socrates compares
justice to other crafts and activities
and concludes that it is not useful in
the same way that that they are, since "it
is only useful for useless things."
This conclusion shows us that there is
something wrong with the analogy: justice
is not an activity like other activities,
but is very different.
We need to inquire more to discover in
what ways it is different, so there's
more philosophy to be done down this
line of thought. Second, Socrates leads
Polemarchus to the conclusion that
justice never harms anyone but only
brings benefit. As you read, pay attention
to the arguments that lead up to these
two conclusions: that justice is not like
other activities, and the justice never
harms anyone. At this point in the
dialogue something unusual happens:
Thrasymachus interrupts the
conversation. He's angry and he begins
hurling insults at Socrates.
In fact, he seems on the on the verge of committing
physical violence against him. I'll talk
about Thrasymachus' part in the
dialogue in another video.
That's all for now. Thanks for watching today; goodbye.