Timaeus — Plato
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Passion or spirit opposed to desire. 133 then he boils and chafes, and is on the side of what he Repubiiciv. beheves to be justice ; and because he suffers hunger or cold Socrates, or other pain he is only the more determined to persevere and ^^aucon. conquer. His noble spirit will not be quelled until he either slays or is slain ; or until he hears the voice of the shepherd, that is, reason, bidding his dog bark no more.
The illustration is perfect, he repHed ; and in our State, as we were saying, the auxiliaries were to be dogs, and to hear the voice of the rulers, who are their shepherds. I perceive, I said, that you quite understand me ; there is, however, a further point which I wish you to consider. What point?
You remember that passion or spirit appeared at first sight to be a kind of desire, but now we should say quite the contrary ; for in the conflict of the soul spirit is arrayed on the side of the rational principle. Most assuredly. But a further question arises : Is passion different from Not two, reason also, or only a kind of reason ; in which latter case, ^"^ ^^^^^ .
"^ _ _ _ pnnciples in instead of three principles in the soul, there will only be two, the soul, as in 44 1 the rational and the concupiscent ; or rather, as the State was ^^^ ^^^^' composed of three classes, traders, auxiliaries, counsellors, so may there not be in the individual soul a third element which is passion or spirit, and when not corrupted by bad education is the natural auxiliary of reason? Yes, he said, there must be a third.
Yes, I replied, if passion, which has already been shown to be different from desire, turn out also to be different from reason. But that is easily proved : — We may observe even in young children that they are full of spirit almost as soon as they are bom, whereas some of them never seem to attain to the use of reason, and most of them late enough.
Excellent, I said, and you may see passion equally in brute animals, which is a further proof of the truth of what you are saying. And we may once more appeal to the words of Appeal to Homer, which have been already quoted by us, ' He smote his breast, and thus rebuked his soul * ; * ^ Od. XX. 17, quoted supra, III. 390 D.
Homer.
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TJie individual like the State.
Republic IV. Socrates, Glaucon.
The conclusion that the same three principles exist both in the State and in the individual applied to each of them.
Music and gymnastic will harmonize passion and reason. These two combined will control desire, for in this verse Homer has clearly supposed the power which reasons about the better and worse to be different from the unreasoning anger which is rebuked by it. Very true, he said. And so, after much tossing, we have reached land, and are fairly agreed that the same principles which exist in the State exist also in the individual, and that they are three in number. Exactly. Must we not then infer that the individual is wise in the same way, and in virtue of the same quality which makes the State wise? Certainly. Also that the same quality which constitutes courage in the State constitutes courage in the individual, and that both the State and the individual bear the same relation to all the other virtues? Assuredly. And the individual will be acknowledged by us to be just in the same way in which the State is just? That follows of course. We cannot but remember that the justice of the State consisted in each of the three classes doing the work of its own class ? We are not very likely to have forgotten, he said. We must recollect that the individual in whom the several qualities of his nature do their own work will be just, and will do his own work? Yes, he said, we must remember that too. And ought not the rational principle, which is wise, and has the care of the whole soul, to rule, and the passionate or spirited principle to be the subject and ally? Certainly. And, as we were saying, the united influence of music and gymnastic will bring them into accord, nerving and sustaining the reason with noble words and lessons, and moderating and soothing and civilizing the wildness of passion by 442 harmony and rhythm? Quite true, he said. And these two, thus nurtured and educated, and having
TJie alliance of passion and reason.
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