Timaeus — Plato

p. 266

The necessary and unnecessary desires and pleasures.

Republic I'lir. Socrates, Adeimantus. Necessary desires cannot be got rid of, but may be indulged to excess. Illustration taken from eating and drinking.

Are not necessary pleasures those of which we cannot get rid, and of which the satisfaction is a benefit to us? And they are rightly called so, because we are framed by nature to desire both what is beneficial and what is necessary, and cannot help it. True. We are not wrong therefore in calling them necessary? We are not. And the desires of which a man may get rid, if he takes pains from his youth upwards — of which the presence, moreover, does no good, and in some cases the reverse of good — shall we not be right in saying that all these are unnecessary ? Yes, certainly. Suppose we select an example of either kind, in order that we may have a general notion of them? Very good. Will not the desire of eating, that is, of simple food and condiments, in so far as they are required for health and strength, be of the necessary class? That is what I should suppose. The pleasure of eating is necessary in two ways ; it does us good and it is essential to the continuance of life? Yes. But the condiments are only necessary in so far as they are good for health? Certainly. And the desire which goes beyond this, of more delicate food, or other luxuries, which might generally be got rid of, if controlled and trained in youth, and is hurtful to the body, and hurtful to the soul in the pursuit of wisdom and virtue, may be rightly called unnecessary? Very true. * May we not say that these desires spend, and that the others make money because they conduce to production? Certainly. And of the pleasures of love, and all other pleasures, the same holds good? True. And the drone of whom we spoke was he who was surfeited in pleasures and desires of this sort, and was the slave

p. 559

From the oligarchical to the democratical man. 267 of the unnecessary desires, whereas he who was subject Repuhik to the necessary only was miserly and oligarchical? ^''' Very true. Socrates. -' Adeimantus. Again, let us see how the democratical man grows out of the oligarchical : the following, as I suspect, is commonly the process. What is the process?

When a young man who has been brought up as we The young were just now describing, in a vulgar and miserly way, has °j!f!||^*^,'u, tasted drones' honey and has come to associate with fierce his wild .isand crafty natures who are able to provide for him all sorts ^°^'^*^^- of refinements and varieties of pleasure — then, as you may imagine, the change will begin of the oligarchical principle within him into the democratical? Inevitably.

And as in the city like was helping like, and the change There are was effected by an alliance from without assisting one division ^ ^l^^^^^^ of the citizens, so too the young man is changed by a class of nature, desires coming from without to assist the desires within him, that which is akin and ahke again helping that which is akin and alike? Certainly.

And if there be any ally which aids the oligarchical principle within him, whether the influence of a father or of kindred, advising or rebuking him, then there arises in his soul a faction and an opposite faction, and he goes to war with himself. It must be so.

And there are times when the democratical principle gives way to the oligarchical, and some of his desires die, and others are banished ; a spirit of reverence enters into the young man's soul and order is restored. Yes, he said, that sometimes happens. And then, again, after the old desires have been driven out, fresh ones spring up, which are akin to them, and because he their father does not know how to educate them, wax fierce and numerous.

Yes, he said, that is apt to be the way. They draw him to his old associates, and holding secret intercourse with them, breed and multiply in him.