Instead, everyone tries to get ahead by clever, often unjust, tricks. The current situation in Athens is analogous: no one has any idea that there is real knowledge to be had, a craft to living. In this scenario, Socrates points out, the true captain-the man who knows the craft of navigation-would be called a useless stargazer. Whoever is successful at persuading the ship owner to choose him is called a “navigator,” a “captain,” and “one who knows ships.” Anyone else is called “useless.” These sailors have no idea that there is a craft of navigation, or any knowledge to master in order to steer ships. In lieu of any skill, they make use of brute force and clever tricks to get the ship owner to choose them as captain. All of the sailors on the ship quarrel over who should be captain, though they know nothing about navigation. He compares the situation to a ship on which the ship owner is hard of hearing, has poor vision, and lacks sea-faring skills. The few who are good philosophers (those whose natures were somehow not corrupted, either because they were in exile, lived in a small city, were in bad health, or by some other circumstance) are considered useless because society has become antithetical to correct ideals. In place of the natural philosophers who are diverted away from philosophy and corrupted, other people who lack the right philosophical nature, rush in to fill the gap and become philosophers when they have no right to be. So they are inevitably led away from the philosophical life. They are encouraged to enter politics in order to win money and power by their parasitic family and friends. Men born with the philosophical nature-courageous, high-minded, quick learners, with faculties of memory-are quickly preyed upon by family and friends, who hope to benefit from their natural gifts. Socrates, surprisingly, agrees with Adeimantus’s condemnation of the contemporary philosopher, but he argues that the current crop of philosophers have not been raised in the right way. Most philosophers are useless, and those that are not useless tend to be vicious. None of the philosophers he has ever known have been like Socrates is describing. This means that the rational part of his soul must rule, which means that his soul is just.Īdeimantus remains unconvinced. A philosopher loves truth more than anything else (“philosopher” means “lover of truth or wisdom”) his entire soul strives after truth. Luckily, we do know that philosophers are superior in virtue to everyone else. If we only knew that they were virtuous-or at least not inferior to others in virtue-then, Socrates’s friends agree, we could be sure that they are the ones most fit to rule.
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Given that only philosophers can have knowledge, they are clearly the ones best able to grasp what is good for the city, and so are in the best position to know how to run and govern the city.
Explore additional resources at ’t you think that the true captain will be called a real stargazer, a babbler, and a good-for-nothing by those who sail in ships governed in that way? (See Quotations, p. Find sample tests, essay help, and translations of Shakespeare. SparkNotes are the most helpful study guides around to literature, math, science, and more. We work with experts to create books, blogs, quizzes, and flashcards that will help you master hard material. We are well qualified to lend a hand: we're graduates of top schools, we have advanced degrees galore, we've taught undergraduate and graduate classes, and we've edited books on Shakespeare, The Scarlet Letter, and the SAT (and that's just the S's!). We're clear and concise, but we never leave out important info.Īs SparkNotes editors, our mission is to help you make sense of confusing schoolwork. We help you understand books, write papers, and study for tests. SparkNotes is a resource you can turn to when you're confuzzled. Study smarter with today's most popular study guides! Sometimes you don't understand your teacher, your textbooks make no sense, and you have to read sixteen chapters by tomorrow.
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