Phaedrus — Plato
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p. 3090 my friend, I said, do not have sQch a bad opinion of mankind : they will surely be of another mind, if gently and with the view of soothing them and removing the evil name of too much learning, you show them the philosopher as just now described, according to his true character and profession, and then they will see that you are not speaking of those whom they supposed ; if they view him in this light, they will surely change their mind, and answer in another strain.
Who can be at enmity with one who loves them ; who that is himself gentle and free from envy will be jealous of one in whom there is no jealousy ? Nay, let me answer for you, that a few such there may be, but not many who have so harsh a temper. 1 entirely agree with you, he said. And do you not agree with me also as to the cause of the harsh feeling which the many have towards philosophy ?
This originates in the pretenders, who enter in, like a band of revelers, where they have no business, and are always abusing and quarreling with them, who make persons instead of things the theme of their conversation ; and this is most unbecoming in philosophers. Most unbecoming.
For he, Adeimantus, whose mind is fixed upon true being has no time to look down upon the affairs of men, or to be filled with jealousy and enmity in the struggle against them ; his eye is ever directed towards fixed and immutable principles, which he sees neither injuring nor injured by one another, but all in order moving according to reason ; these he imitates, and to these he would, as far as he can, conform himself.
Can a man help imitating that with which he holds reverential converse? Impossible. And the philosopher also, conversing with the divine and immutable, becomes a part of that divine and immutable order, ^^ as far as nature allows ; but all things are liable to detraction. Certainly.
And if a necessity be laid upon him of fashioning, not " The thought that if we lovingly attend to the divine, we shall imitate the divine, and that if we lovingly imitate the divine we shall become divine and eternal is the argument of S. John xv.
3IO PLATO THE TEACHER only himself but human nature generally, whether in States or individuals, into that which he there beholds, think you that he will be an unskillful artificer of justice, temperance, and every civil virtue ? Anything but unskillful. And if the world perceives that we are speaking the truth about him, will they be angry with philosophy ?
Will they disbelieve us, when we tell them that the State can only be happy which is planned by artists who make use of the heavenly pattern ? They will not be angry if they only understand, he * replied. But what do you mean about the plan ? I mean, I replied, that they will take a State and human nature for their tablet and begin by making a clean surface.
Now this is not an easy thing to do ; and this is the mark which at once distinguishes them from every other legislator,— they will have nothing to do, either with individual or State, and will inscribe no laws, until they have either found, or themselves made, a clean surface. They will be very right, he said. Having effected this, they will proceed to make an outline of the constitution. No doubt.
And in the course of the work, as I conceive, they will often turn their eyes first towards one, then towards the other. I mean that they will look at justice and beauty and temperance as they are in nature, and again at the corresponding quality in mankind, and they will inlay the true human image, moulding and selecting out of the various forms of life ; and this they will conceive according to that other image, which, when existing among men.
Homer calls the form and likeness of God. That is true, he said. And one feature they will erase, and another they will inscribe, until they have made the ways of men, as far as possible, agreeable to the ways of God ? Indeed, he said, in no other way could they make a fairer picture.
And now, I said, do you think that we are beginning to persuade those whom you said were rushing at us with might and main, that the painter of constitutions is such an one as p. 311we were praising, — he, I mean, at whom they were so much infuriated, because into his hands we committed the State, or are they growing calmer at what they hear ? Much calmer, if there is any sense in them. Why, where can they still find any ground for objection ? Will they doubt that the philosopher is a lover of truth and being? That would be monstrous.
Or that his nature, being such as we have delineated, is akin to the highest good ? Neither can they doubt that. But again, will they tell us that such a nature, if properly trained, will not be perfectly good and wise as much as any that ever was ? Or will ^ey prefer those whom we have set aside ? Surely not.
Then will they still be angry at our saying, that until philosophers bear rule in States, the evils of States and individuals will never cease, nor will this our imaginary State ever be realized ? I think that they will be less angry. Shall we assume that they are not only less angry but quite gentle, and that they have been converted and for very shame cannot refuse to come to terms ? ^^^ Certainly, he said.
Then now we may assume that they have been converted. And will any one deny the other point, that there may be sons of kings who are philosophers ? No one will doubt that, he said. And when they have come into being will any one say that they must of necessity be destroyed ; for that they can hardly be saved is not denied even by us, but all will allow that, in the whole course of ages, peradventure a single one may be saved ? Surely.
But, said I, one is enough ; let there be one man who has a city obedient to his will, and he might bring the ideal polity into being. Yes, one is enough. When the niler has framed these laws and institutions, the citizens may possibly be willing to obey them ?
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