Skip to main content Accessibility help

We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.

Close cookie message
×
Hostname: page-component-77c89778f8-swr86 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-22T02:09:09.683Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

5 - Return to the cave

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 February 2011

By
Nicholas D. Smith
Edited by
Mark L. McPherran
Mark L. McPherran
Affiliation:
Simon Fraser University, British Columbia
Get access

Summary

INTRODUCTION TO THE PROBLEM

In the beginning of Book 2 of the Republic, Glaucon challenges Socrates to show that it is “better in every way” to be just than unjust (2, 357b1–2). Socrates responds to the challenge by telling Glaucon, “I want truly to convince you … if I can” (2, 357b3). Later in the Republic, however, it appears that those who should be the best qualified to realize that justice is always preferable – the philosophers of the kallipolis – find themselves in a situation in which they do not prefer to be just. Once they have “seen” the Form of the Good, they reach a point where, Socrates tells Glaucon, they are “unwilling to occupy themselves with human affairs” (7, 517c8–9). And yet, occupying themselves with human affairs is precisely what they must do, as their training has always ultimately been aimed at preparing them for their role in the state as leaders:

It is our task as founders, then, to compel the best natures to reach the study we said before is the most important, namely, to make the ascent and see the good. But when they've made it and looked sufficiently, we mustn't allow them to do what they are allowed to do today.

What's that?

To stay there and refuse to go down again to the prisoners in the cave and share their labors and honors, whether they are of less worth or of greater.

(7, 519c8–d7)

Keywords

cavehappy philosopher problemjusticereturnersRepublicpsychic disharmonyPlato
Type
Chapter
Information
Plato's 'Republic'
A Critical Guide
 , pp. 83 - 102
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2010

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure coreplatform@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×