The Last Temptation of the Philosopher-Rulers
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.11606/issn.1981-9471.v3i1p1-20Abstract
In Plato's Republic there are two stages in the philosophers' "return to the cave": an initial failure to rule and a subsequent lament at having to rule. The failure can be seen elsewhere in the work and so needs to be taken seriously. As an explanation for the failure to rule, I propose that, due to their love of the forms, the philosophers forget that they are interdependent members of the city. Finally, I argue that there are no "founders", external to the city, who persuade them, but rather that the philosophers decide for themselves, and that it is the other parts of the soul and the other classes of the city which drive the philosophers to the decision to return.Downloads
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Published
2009-06-01
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How to Cite
Woods, C. (2009). The Last Temptation of the Philosopher-Rulers. Journal of Ancient Philosophy, 3(1), 1-20. https://doi.org/10.11606/issn.1981-9471.v3i1p1-20
