Philosophy

Events

“Living Behind the Wall: Plato’s Philosopher in an Unjust City” by Michelle Jenkins (Whitman College)

Date: March 4 2011, 3:30pm Location: JRHH 202

Unlike the philosopher in the Kallipolis of the Republic, the philosopher in non-ideal circumstances will live in a city run by unjust laws and surrounded by individuals who live guided by false beliefs and who pursue false goods. In this talk, I want to think about how Plato’s philosopher would act if faced with these circumstances. My investigation begins with a brief look at Plato’s philosopher more generally - who is he and what does he desire? I argue that, ultimately, the philosopher wants to become like god. But what does it mean to become like god? Figuring out the answer to this gets us to the heart of the question of how the philosopher in an unjust city will act. I argue that two popular interpretations - (1) that becoming like god involves withdrawing from the world and (2) that it involves attempting to morally improve the world - are both incorrect. So, if both of these interpretations are incorrect, what does it mean to say that the philosopher wants to become like god? I argue that becoming like god involves modeling ourselves after god’s order and coming to have (godlike) knowledge of what is valuable and not valuable. Thus the philosopher, in aiming to become like god, will put himself in order and will act so as to maintain that order and preserve his virtue. I caution against saying much more than this, though, since the details of the philosopher’s life will vary quite a bit, given the wide variety of circumstances into which he (or she) may be born. He may be commanded by the gods to be a moral exhorter (as was Socrates), he may be obligated to share in the rule of his city (as was the philosopher ruler), or lacking any external obligations, he may choose to live a private life, doing his best to keep away from the injustice of the majority. Without knowing the details of the philosopher’s life, we simply cannot say much about it, except that it will be a life that is ordered, virtuous, and as much like the god’s as a human life can be.