The Justice of Socrates' Philosopher Kings

The Justice of Socrates' Philosopher Kings Author(s): Darrell Dobbs Source: American Journal of Political Science, Vol. 29, No. 4 (Nov., 1985), pp. 809-826 Published by: Midwest Political Science Association Stable URL: Accessed: 10/12/2010 23:55 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use, available at . JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use provides, in part, that unless you have obtained prior permission, you may not download an entire issue of a journal or multiple copies of articles, and you may use content in the JSTOR archive only for your personal, non-commercial use. Please contact the publisher regarding any further use of this work. Publisher contact information may be obtained at . Each copy of any part of a JSTOR transmission must contain the same copyright notice that appears on the screen or printed page of such transmission. JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@.

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TheJusticoefSocrates'PhilosopKhienrgs

DarrellDobbs,UniversitoyfHouston

Asagainstcurrenntotionsw, hichtendtoidentiftyhejustwiththevoluntarayndthereby toespousea politicallsyuicidailndividualismPl,ato'sSocrateds evelopasnaccountofjustice thatinvolvecsoercione,venagainstheeliteh, isphilosopherws,homustbeforcedfroma lifeof contemplatiotno ruleas kings.Thisessaysuggestsa,ccordinglyth, atdespitethemodern emphasiosnindividuarlightsit,isPlatowhomostfullyexposestheperplexitoyfjusticeand politicaplartnershiapn,dwhothusprovidetshesoundesbtasisforitstheoreticeaxl amination. Itisfurtheargueda,gainstprevailinignterpretatiotnhsa,tthemanifestatiofnthips erplexity intheRepublic-theconflicbtetweenSocratesc'ityandphilosophy-ismerelyprovisional, notfundamentLale.arning-lovipnhgilosophearcstuallybenefiftromthepoliticarlesponsibilityforceduponthemingainingaccesstothe"greatesltearningmatter,t"heideaofthegood. Thisresultprovidestrongesrupportforthereconciliatioonftheindividuatlo hisown citizenshiapn, dthusforpublic-spiritedntehssa,nmighottherwisbeeavailabletoday.

Introduction

Withoujtustice,decentpoliticaslocietywoulddeclineintoanarchyor tyrannYye. teachofuswouldlikebesttopursuehisowninteresut,nimpeded bycivicobligationws,hileothershouldeorurcommonresponsibilitiTesh.is inclinatioins significantflyortifiebdycertaincurrenntotionos fjusticeo,r politicalrightw, hichdesignatceonsentas thefountainoflegitimacaynd posita "socialcontracta"s thebasisofpoliticalauthorityIn. sofaras civic obligatioinsmerelyderivativferomindividuarlightsh,owevert,hetendency toidentiftyhejustwiththevoluntariys,as Leo Straus(s1953,pp. 186-87) suggestfs,undamentalilryresistiblAec. cordingloyn,emighdtenyonprincipletheauthoritoyfpoliticaslocietyf,orexamplet,oinstitutceonscriptioonr inflictcapitalpunishmenrte, gardlesosfthepossibleconsequenceosfthe formeirnpromotintghecommondefensaendthelatterinvalidatincgommonmorailndignatiobno,thofwhicharepresumablnyecessaryina thriving polityF.latterintghoughitmaybetoourproperconcernforhumandignity, soabsolutea commitmentotthetheoryofindividuarlightcsouldprovein practicetobe dangeroutsothepreservatioonflibertyitselfP. rudentselfintereswtouldurget,hena, seriousinvestigationfotheraccountsofman's tiestopoliticaslocietythatarenotstrictldyependenutponthedoctrinoef individuarlightsIn. deed,thisinvestigatiomnaybe regardedas partofthe perpetuavligilanctehatissaidtobethepriceofliberty.

*IwouldliketothankEvelynC Fink,J.PeterEuben,JohnW.Danfordt,hisJournal's refereesa,nd,aboveall, AlfredGeierfortheircommentosn earlierdraftsofthisessay.

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Onesuchalternativwearrantsspecialattentionin, asmuchas itstands as a deliberateresponseto a particularlpyrofoundformulatioonf the contracttheoryofjustice.Glaucon,a younginterlocutoinrPlato'sRepublic,formulattehs elatterexpressltyoprovokSeocratesr' esponseA. ccording to Glaucon,justiceis essentiallya compromiseI.t originateisn mutual consentt;heconsentinpgartiesagreeto renouncewhatis bestbynature, namelydoingwhateveornepleaseswithimpunityso, as nottosuffewrhatis worstn, amelyservinganother'psleasurewithourtecourse(358e3-359b5).

AlthougGhlauconsharetshemodernviewthatjusticeoriginateins consent, he differismportantliyn notregardintghecompact,and thuspolitical

partnershiaps,an unqualifiegdood.Inthisrespecth, eaddressetsheproblemofjusticeandpoliticalifemoreprofoundltyhansubsequenctonsent

theoristW s. hereasHobbes(Leviathan,13),forexamplec,ontendtshatthe socialcontracatndjusticeareuniversallbyeneficiailnprovidinngaturally diffidenmt anan assuranceofself-preservatioGnla,uconmaintainsthat justiceis beneficiaolnlyfortheweakorpowerlesst;hereis no advantage, Glaucondeclaresi,njusticeorpoliticaltiesfor"a realman"(hosakthos

andra).SocratesmakesitquiteclearthatGlauconis himselfsucha man (357a2-3).TruetothisdescriptionG,lauconchallengeSsocratesto show thatjusticeandpoliticallifeareprofltablne,otjustforthosewhosepreservationdependsuponit,butforthebestandstrongesint dividuals.

GenerallyspeakingG, lauconrepresenptsreciselythehighspiritedness onwhichthepolitydependsintimesofitsgreatesctrisesS. ohisdemandcan hardlybedismissedas politicallyirrelevanBt.ut,as Glaucon'sratherswaggeringafflrmatioonfsuperiorittyestifieps,oliticalsocietycannotwinthe allegianceofitsmostspiritedindividualosn thebasisofitsratherhumble claimtofacilitatseelf-preservatiPoonl.iticapl artnershimpustoffearccess to somethingfineri,f Glauconand thoselikehimare to be included (372c2-d5;398c7-8).To respondadequatelyto Glaucon'schallengea,n accountofpoliticalpartnershimp ustultimatelpyitjusticeand political responsibilitaygainsttheindividualifeofgreatestexcellenceand selfsufficiencyth, etheoreticaolr philosophicallife.Socratesundertakeas responsteoGlaucon'schallengienexactlythesetermsW. ithhisinterlocutors,hefoundsa cityinspeechinwhichpoliticajlusticecomestolightas requirinegachtoperformthecivicfunctiofnorwhichheorsheisnaturally bestqualified(370c3-6;374b9-c24; 34c7-10).Inthenameofthips rinciple, Socratescompelshismostphilosophicaclitizensfroma lifeofblissful, transpoliticcaol ntemplatiobnacktothedrudgeryofpoliticalofficeJ. ustice,evidentlyis, notcoextensivwe iththevoluntarye,venforthebest individualsB. ut ifjusticeis done onlyat thecost ofthepurest,most self-sufflciehnutmanactivityi,tsgoodness,as wellas thatofpolitical partnershigpenerallyis, indeeddubious.Socratesthusacknowledgetshe

THE JUSTICE OF SOCRATES' PHILOSOPHER KINGS

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decisivequestioncontainedinGlaucon'schallengeB. ut,as I shallsuggest, he does more.In fact,Socratesproceedsto revealthathisphilosophers actuallybenefiftromtheirconstrainerdesumptioonfpoliticarl esponsibility.Ifthisiscorrecto,nemayfindinPlato'sRepublican accountofman's tiesto politicalsocietythatis neitherbiasedby thepresumptionnsor plaguedbytheshortcominogfsthedoctrineofindividuarlightsa,ndyetis capableofsatisfyintgheprofoundesatnd noblestlongingosfthehuman

soul. 1 Accordingto theviewnowcurrenatmongstudentosftheRepublic,

howeverS,ocratesp' hilosophekringdoesnotbenefiftromhisresumptioonf politicalresponsibilitAyl.lanBloom(1968,pp.407-8),forexamplec,ontendsthat"itwouldbecontrartyo[thephilosophersg']oodtoreturn... in thedecisiverespecthecityisnotnaturali:tcannotcomprehentdhehighest activityofman"(pp.407-8).ThustooJohnSallis(1975,pp.379-380),who interpretthsephilosophekringasa comicfigureo,wingtowhathedescribes as the"radicaldiscontinuitoyfphilosophyand politics."ArleneSaxonhouse(1978) notestherelevanceof thisputativediscontinuitfyorthe problemofjustice,maintainingthat"theattempto praisejusticeby unitingpoliticsandphilosophyand bymakingthephilosopheSrocrates engageinthepoliticaalctivityoffoundinagcityonlyrendertshediscussion

of justice more laughable.... The biggestjoke of all in Book 5 is the proposalforthephilosophicarluler"(pp. 889-90).SimilarlyE,va Brann (1967)contendsthat"ifjusticecan onlywithdifficultbye provedto be profitablfeortheguardianrulersbecauseofthehardlifetheylead(419a, 465c4),forthephilosophekringsthisisaltogetheirmpossible("pp. 17-18). Dale Hall (1977) and GeorgeKlosko(1981) agree,despiteothernotable differencwesiththeprecedincgommentatortsh,atthephilosophedroesnot benefiftromhiscompulsoryreturntothecave.In thejudgmenotfthese scholarst,henG, laucon'schallengteobringtolightheinherenptrofitabilityofjusticeandpoliticalifeisnoteffectivealnysweredbySocrates.2

'Plato,wemustremembedro,esnotspeakinhisownvoiceinthiso,ranyo, fhisdialogues.

ButwemayI,trustu,nderstantdheworkasa whole-theweaveofitsargumenatns ddramatic actions-tospeakforhimB. ecauseofthipseculiaritoyfthePlatonimc odeofwritinhgo,wever, thecomprehensiofnitsteachingrsequireasspecialattentiotnhatiseasilymistakefnora kind ofspecializationF.oran illuminatindgiscussionofthecharactearndspecialdifficultioefs

Plato'swritingsse,eJacobKlein(1965,pp.3-31)andLeo Straus(s1964,pp.50-60). 2Myattempto showthecontraryis notunprecedentedR.ichardKraut(1973) and

EdwardAndrew(1983)addrestshisdifficultayndtrytoshowthatphilosopheirnsdeedbenefit as kings.Specificallyb,othclaimforthephilosophear gainthataccruesfromteaching, whethearkindofimmortaliitnyinfluencinsgubsequengtenerationosrthesatisfactioonfan eroticlongintgosharetheirinsightwsithothersB. utSocratesp' hilosopherarseexpresslaynd aboveall loversoflearningS.o a conclusiveargumenftorphilosopherbs'enefitinfgrom

politicallifemustfocusonwhattheyn,ottheirstudentlse,arnbackinthecave.

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Againstthe prevailinginterpretatioIn,shall arguethatSocrates' philosophekringt,hechiefpoliticailnstitutioonfhisbestcityi,sa meaningfulexpressionofa profoundlayrticulatedreconciliatioonfmanand the politicacl ommunityT.heconflicbtetweenSocratesc' ityandhisphilosophersisindeedgenuinet,henb, ut,inmyviewp, rovisionaFl.orSocratest,he conflicbtetweenthepoliasndphilosophiysakintotheilluminatinfgriction thatprecedesb, utculminateisn,thelightinogfa match(434e4-435a3). Onlybyfocusinagttentiveolyn thisfrictionS,ocrates ays,canonecatcha glimpsoefthjeusticeorcommongoodthattranscendasndyetembracetshe interestosfboththebestpolityandthebesthumanbeing.

In thefollowinpgages,I shallpresenetvidencedrawnfromtheargumentand dramaticactionoftheRepublicrevealingthatthephilosopher benefltbsyhispoliticalresponsibilityoSocratesc' ityI. shallsuggesthat Socratesp' hilosopherw,hois bynaturea loveroflearning(philomaths, 376b8-10;485a10-b4;490a8-b8),gainsan adequatecomprehensioonf whatmostneedstobelearned(tomegistomn athema)t,heideaofthegood, intheglimpseofthekosmosheattainsas a resultofbeingjustlycompelled toreturntopoliticalifetoconcernhimselwf ithhumanaffairsS.imilarly, as disclosedintheactionofPlato'sdrama,Socrateshimselbfenefitisntellectuallyg,aininga soundbasisforhisconvictionin favorofjustice,as a resultofhiscaringfortheorderandintegritoyfthecityhefoundisnspeech.

PhilosopherBsenefiftromPoliticalResponsibility

A momentr'seflectiownillrevealthatanawarenesosfanyprospective benefltpresupposeas recognitionofdeflciencyS.o thefirststepin an analysisoftheprospectivbeenefltgainedbyphilosopherfsrompolitical responsibiliitsytoconsidertheirdeflciencpyriortoundertakinigt.Disclosureofthisdeficiencyin, boththecase ofSocratesandthatofthephilosophersbeyondthecave,willitselfsuggesthecharacteorfthebenefithey haveyettogain.I shallbeginineachcase,accordinglyb,yspecifyintghe deficienctyhatpointstowardthisprospectivbeenefitT. henI shalltryto indicateas clearlyas possiblewhatthisbeneflits,itsimportancteophilosophicailnterestis.,e.,educationa,ndhowitsgenesisisboundtothepolitics ofPlato'sRepublic.

TheCase ofSocrates

Theawarenesosfanyprospectivbeenefipt resupposesa,s I suggesta, recognitioonfdeficiencyT.his recognitionofdeficiencyis particularly difflculftorus in thecase ofSocratesa, manwhoseveryprofessionosf ignorancheavecometobetreatedas indicativoefhiswisdomB. utSocratic ignorancme ightsometimessignifythegapbetweenwhatSocratesunderstandsandwhatishumanlypossibletolearn,rathetrhantheupperlimitof

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