It is a good light, then, for those That know the ultimate Plato, Tranquillizing with this jewel ... more It is a good light, then, for those That know the ultimate Plato, Tranquillizing with this jewel The torments of confusion. -Wallace Stevens, 'Homunculus et La Belle Étoile' For Erica, my SLPF
Ernst Herter, Amazonenkampf (1891). Photograph by Mutter Erde (2017), Wikimedia, Public Domain, h... more Ernst Herter, Amazonenkampf (1891). Photograph by Mutter Erde (2017), Wikimedia, Public Domain, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Ernst_Herter_-_Amazonenkampf%2C_c._1891.jpg Having answered the Republic’s first question, Plato has Socrates immediately start in on its second: ‘whether it is more profitable to act justly, live in a fine way, and be just, whether one is known to be so or not’ (4.445a). Since his method is to work with claims that his interlocutors believe, we m..
Unidentified artist, ‘Image satirique du tennis chez les Anciens’, La revue athlétique, 3 (1890),... more Unidentified artist, ‘Image satirique du tennis chez les Anciens’, La revue athlétique, 3 (1890), 169. Photograph by Skblzz1 (2018), Wikimedia, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Image_satirique_du_tennis_chez_les_Anciens_(1890).jpg At long last, in Book IX Socrates is ready to address the Republic’s second question, Is a just life happier than an unjust life? There is a lot at stake here, as ‘the argument concerns no ordinary topic but the way we ought to live’ (1.352d). ..
Whatever worries or quibbles we might have about Socrates' definition of political justice, Glauc... more Whatever worries or quibbles we might have about Socrates' definition of political justice, Glaucon finds it satisfactory: 'I agree. Justice is that and nothing else' (4.434d). A reminder about methodology might be in order here. Back in Book I, Socrates opted for question-and-answer over speechifying as the preferred method for investigating the nature of justice. Crucial to this method is 'seeking agreement with each other' (1.348b), arriving at a conclusion from shared premises, and then in turn treating that conclusion as a premise from which to derive new conclusions. Sometimes Glaucon and others seem too ready to agree with Socrates, and they often fail to critically scrutinize his claims, but an important feature of Socrates' method is its cooperative, agreementsecuring nature. (This is perhaps surprising in light of cinematic and televisual depictions of 'the Socratic method' as a matter of antagonistic intellectual combat between a knowing professor and a terrified firstyear law student.) So before putting the definition of political justice to work in order to understand personal justice, Socrates wants to be sure that Glaucon accepts the conclusion of their investigation into the nature of political justice. Given the focus on theoretical city-building, it is easy to forget that the political theorizing is not an end in itself but rather a means to grasping what justice is for the individual. Now Socrates must
Muse tuning two kitharai. Detail of the interior from an Attic white-ground cup (c. 470–460 BCE).... more Muse tuning two kitharai. Detail of the interior from an Attic white-ground cup (c. 470–460 BCE). Photograph by Jastrow (2006), Wikimedia, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Muse_lyre_Louvre_CA482.jpg#/media/File:Muse_lyre_Louvre_CA482.jpg Book IX ends with Socrates telling Glaucon that if the polis one lives in is far from ideal, even if the ideal polis exists only in theory but not in reality, one can still ‘make himself its citizen’ (9.592b), and thus learn to live just..
LEBAR, Mark. The Value of Living Well. New York: Oxford University Press, 2013. xiii + 356 pp. Cl... more LEBAR, Mark. The Value of Living Well. New York: Oxford University Press, 2013. xiii + 356 pp. Cloth, $74.00--Eudaimonism typically concerns the content of moral reasons, holding that our reasons for action ultimately refer to living well. This fine book seeks to draw on eudaimonism to address questions about the nature of reasons and values and thus begins a welcome foray into metaethics. Its core normative commitment, argued for in part one, is telic monism, the view that we have one ultimate end. Its core metaethical commitments, argued for in part two, are constructivism and particularism. Part three addresses concerns arising from and objections to positions taken in the first two parts. Virtue Eudaimonism (VE) is grounded in our being end-seekers and end-setters. We cannot make sense of ourselves as agents, LeBar argues, unless we accept that we have one ultimate end--a final end that derives none of its value or normative force from other ends and is itself the source of the ...
This book is a lucid and accessible companion to Plato’s Republic, throwing light upon the text’s... more This book is a lucid and accessible companion to Plato’s Republic, throwing light upon the text’s arguments and main themes, placing them in the wider context of the text’s structure. In its illumina� on of the philosophical ideas underpinning the work, it provides readers with an understanding and apprecia� on of the complexity and literary ar� stry of Plato’s Republic. McAleer not only unpacks the key overarching ques� ons of the text – What is justi ce? And Is a just life happier than an unjust life? – but also highlights some fascina� ng, overlooked passages which contribute to our understanding of Plato’s philosophical thought.
Theodoor van Thulden, Telemachus and Ulysses Meet in Eumaeus’ Hut (1632–1633). Photograph by Mr. ... more Theodoor van Thulden, Telemachus and Ulysses Meet in Eumaeus’ Hut (1632–1633). Photograph by Mr. Nostalgic (2019), Wikimedia, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Odysseus_en_Telemachus_in_de_hut_van_Eumaeus_De_werken_van_Odysseus_(serietitel),_RP-P-OB-66.764.jpg Plato packs a lot into the Republic’s first book, so we will have an easier time of it if we break the discussion into two chapters. In this chapter we will examine Socrates’ conversations with Cephalus and then wit..
This book springs from the happy confluence of two sources: my teaching the Republic every semest... more This book springs from the happy confluence of two sources: my teaching the Republic every semester in PHIL 101 at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and my offering a three-session class on the Republic to Chippewa Valley Learning in Retirement in the fall of 2013. Dr Mike O'Halloran, the indefatigably cheerful and intellectually curious retiree who thought the group would enjoy a presentation on philosophy turned out to be correct: the sessions were well attended and well received-if subsequent requests for more philosophy sessions are any indication. Although some philosophical friends were skeptical at my plan to devote an entire 'intro' course to the Republic, many students seem to have found the experience worthwhile, so I have continued with this somewhat old-fashioned way of introducing students to philosophy. This book has been shaped by my experience with both kinds of audiences. I thank the students it has been my privilege to teach over the years and the CVLR audiences for their questions, feedback, criticisms, and their laughing at some of my jokes. Many friends have helped in a variety of ways. Erica Benson, the life partner than which none greater could be conceived, provided insightful feedback on the entire manuscript, created the figures for the Divided Line, and talked me off the ledge more than once. Geoff Gorham has used parts of the manuscript in some of his courses and has given feedback and encouragement, as has his wife, the philosopher Amy Ihlan. Rod Cooke unwittingly served as a 'responsibility buddy' during a sabbatical, regularly asking me how it was going and when it might it be finished. My colleagues at UW-Eau Claire-Kristin Schaupp, Matt Meyer, and Steve Fink-models of collegiality all, have been sources It is a good light, then, for those That know the ultimate Plato, Tranquillizing with this jewel The torments of confusion.
... episode of Ulysses; I don't really notice the camera-work in the labyrinthine entran... more ... episode of Ulysses; I don't really notice the camera-work in the labyrinthine entrance to the Copacabana in Goodfellas; I'm completely in the dark when it comes to Caravaggio. ... Watson offers in On the Primacy of Character (1990). Watson groups theories by the ...
Having answered the Republic's first question, Plato has Socrates immediately start in on its sec... more Having answered the Republic's first question, Plato has Socrates immediately start in on its second: 'whether it is more profitable to act justly, live in a fine way, and be just, whether one is known to be so or not' (4.445a). Since his method is to work with claims that his interlocutors believe, we might have expected Socrates to pause and ask if anyone has any questions about the definition of justice they have arrived at, but instead he immediately starts in on the Republic's second question on the final page of Book IV. But as Book V begins, Polemarchus, who has been silent since Book I, jumps back into the fray, piping up with some questions which will lead to a 'digression' (8.543c), as Socrates later puts it, that comprises Books V, VI, and VII, taking up about one hundred pages of the Greek text. Literary Artistry as a Way of Doing Philosophy (5.449b-d) The opening of Book V is subtly but strikingly similar to the opening of Book I, and it is worth pausing to consider Plato's literary way of making a philosophical point. Book I, readers will remember, begins with Socrates and Glaucon returning to Athens proper from its port, the Piraeus. Polemarchus' unnamed slave bids them to wait for his master, after the slave 'caught hold of [Socrates'] cloak' (1.327b). In
Socrates regards the last of the Three Waves, 'whether it is possible for this constitution to co... more Socrates regards the last of the Three Waves, 'whether it is possible for this constitution to come into being' (5.471c), as 'the biggest and most difficult one' (5.472a). The constitution he refers to is not a written document as in the US or even a collection of documents as in the UK; it is the conceptual organization of the ideal city itself. 'Constitution' translates the Greek word πολιτεία (politeia, whence the English word 'politics'), which is in fact the Greek title of the Republic. Socrates thinks that the ideal polis is indeed possible, but the condition of its being made real is as bold as it is famous and controversial: Until philosophers rule as kings or those who are now called kings and leading men genuinely and adequately philosophize, that is, until political power and philosophy entirely coincide, while the many natures who at present pursue either one exclusively are forcibly prevented from doing so, cities will have no rest from evils, Glaucon, nor, I think, will the human race. And, until this happens, the constitution we have been describing in theory will never be born to the fullest extent possible or see the light of the sun. It is because I saw how very paradoxical this statement would be that I hesitated to make it for so long, for it is hard
The Allegory of the Cave is arguably the most famous part of the Republic. Although it is clearly... more The Allegory of the Cave is arguably the most famous part of the Republic. Although it is clearly related to the Sun and Divided Line analogies (indeed, Socrates explicitly connects the Cave and the Sun at 7.517bc), Plato marks its special status by opening Book VII with it, emphasizing its importance typographically, so to speak (he will do much the same thing in Book IX with the discussion of the tyrannical soul). Although an allegory is sometimes defined as a symbolic narrative that can be interpreted as having a hidden meaning, Plato is not cagey about the Cave Allegory's meaning: it is about 'the effect of education (παιδεία [paideia]) and the lack of it on our nature' (7.514a). Given how visual the allegory is, many readers will find it helpful to draw themselves a diagram of it. Education, the Allegory's topic, is not what most people think it is, says Plato: it is not 'putting knowledge into souls that lack it' (7.518b). Though education sometimes requires that kind of transmission of knowledge from teacher to student, this is not its essence, which instead is 'turning the whole soul' (7.518d)-turning it around, ultimately toward the Form of the good. Education as turning around is a powerful metaphor, capturing the way in which learning involves gaining new perspectives, seeing everyday things and events from new points of view. Everyone, Plato insists, is capable of education in this sense (7.518c). But not everyone is capable of making it out of the Cave into the intelligible world of the Forms, just as not everyone is capable of winning a Nobel Prize in Physics or an Olympic medal in Figure Skating. Nonetheless,
This book is a lucid and accessible companion to Plato’s Republic, throwing light upon the text’s... more This book is a lucid and accessible companion to Plato’s Republic, throwing light upon the text’s arguments and main themes, placing them in the wider context of the text’s structure. In its illumina� on of the philosophical ideas underpinning the work, it provides readers with an understanding and apprecia� on of the complexity and literary ar� stry of Plato’s Republic. McAleer not only unpacks the key overarching ques� ons of the text – What is justi ce? And Is a just life happier than an unjust life? – but also highlights some fascina� ng, overlooked passages which contribute to our understanding of Plato’s philosophical thought.
It is a good light, then, for those That know the ultimate Plato, Tranquillizing with this jewel ... more It is a good light, then, for those That know the ultimate Plato, Tranquillizing with this jewel The torments of confusion. -Wallace Stevens, 'Homunculus et La Belle Étoile' For Erica, my SLPF
Ernst Herter, Amazonenkampf (1891). Photograph by Mutter Erde (2017), Wikimedia, Public Domain, h... more Ernst Herter, Amazonenkampf (1891). Photograph by Mutter Erde (2017), Wikimedia, Public Domain, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Ernst_Herter_-_Amazonenkampf%2C_c._1891.jpg Having answered the Republic’s first question, Plato has Socrates immediately start in on its second: ‘whether it is more profitable to act justly, live in a fine way, and be just, whether one is known to be so or not’ (4.445a). Since his method is to work with claims that his interlocutors believe, we m..
Unidentified artist, ‘Image satirique du tennis chez les Anciens’, La revue athlétique, 3 (1890),... more Unidentified artist, ‘Image satirique du tennis chez les Anciens’, La revue athlétique, 3 (1890), 169. Photograph by Skblzz1 (2018), Wikimedia, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Image_satirique_du_tennis_chez_les_Anciens_(1890).jpg At long last, in Book IX Socrates is ready to address the Republic’s second question, Is a just life happier than an unjust life? There is a lot at stake here, as ‘the argument concerns no ordinary topic but the way we ought to live’ (1.352d). ..
Whatever worries or quibbles we might have about Socrates' definition of political justice, Glauc... more Whatever worries or quibbles we might have about Socrates' definition of political justice, Glaucon finds it satisfactory: 'I agree. Justice is that and nothing else' (4.434d). A reminder about methodology might be in order here. Back in Book I, Socrates opted for question-and-answer over speechifying as the preferred method for investigating the nature of justice. Crucial to this method is 'seeking agreement with each other' (1.348b), arriving at a conclusion from shared premises, and then in turn treating that conclusion as a premise from which to derive new conclusions. Sometimes Glaucon and others seem too ready to agree with Socrates, and they often fail to critically scrutinize his claims, but an important feature of Socrates' method is its cooperative, agreementsecuring nature. (This is perhaps surprising in light of cinematic and televisual depictions of 'the Socratic method' as a matter of antagonistic intellectual combat between a knowing professor and a terrified firstyear law student.) So before putting the definition of political justice to work in order to understand personal justice, Socrates wants to be sure that Glaucon accepts the conclusion of their investigation into the nature of political justice. Given the focus on theoretical city-building, it is easy to forget that the political theorizing is not an end in itself but rather a means to grasping what justice is for the individual. Now Socrates must
Muse tuning two kitharai. Detail of the interior from an Attic white-ground cup (c. 470–460 BCE).... more Muse tuning two kitharai. Detail of the interior from an Attic white-ground cup (c. 470–460 BCE). Photograph by Jastrow (2006), Wikimedia, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Muse_lyre_Louvre_CA482.jpg#/media/File:Muse_lyre_Louvre_CA482.jpg Book IX ends with Socrates telling Glaucon that if the polis one lives in is far from ideal, even if the ideal polis exists only in theory but not in reality, one can still ‘make himself its citizen’ (9.592b), and thus learn to live just..
LEBAR, Mark. The Value of Living Well. New York: Oxford University Press, 2013. xiii + 356 pp. Cl... more LEBAR, Mark. The Value of Living Well. New York: Oxford University Press, 2013. xiii + 356 pp. Cloth, $74.00--Eudaimonism typically concerns the content of moral reasons, holding that our reasons for action ultimately refer to living well. This fine book seeks to draw on eudaimonism to address questions about the nature of reasons and values and thus begins a welcome foray into metaethics. Its core normative commitment, argued for in part one, is telic monism, the view that we have one ultimate end. Its core metaethical commitments, argued for in part two, are constructivism and particularism. Part three addresses concerns arising from and objections to positions taken in the first two parts. Virtue Eudaimonism (VE) is grounded in our being end-seekers and end-setters. We cannot make sense of ourselves as agents, LeBar argues, unless we accept that we have one ultimate end--a final end that derives none of its value or normative force from other ends and is itself the source of the ...
This book is a lucid and accessible companion to Plato’s Republic, throwing light upon the text’s... more This book is a lucid and accessible companion to Plato’s Republic, throwing light upon the text’s arguments and main themes, placing them in the wider context of the text’s structure. In its illumina� on of the philosophical ideas underpinning the work, it provides readers with an understanding and apprecia� on of the complexity and literary ar� stry of Plato’s Republic. McAleer not only unpacks the key overarching ques� ons of the text – What is justi ce? And Is a just life happier than an unjust life? – but also highlights some fascina� ng, overlooked passages which contribute to our understanding of Plato’s philosophical thought.
Theodoor van Thulden, Telemachus and Ulysses Meet in Eumaeus’ Hut (1632–1633). Photograph by Mr. ... more Theodoor van Thulden, Telemachus and Ulysses Meet in Eumaeus’ Hut (1632–1633). Photograph by Mr. Nostalgic (2019), Wikimedia, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Odysseus_en_Telemachus_in_de_hut_van_Eumaeus_De_werken_van_Odysseus_(serietitel),_RP-P-OB-66.764.jpg Plato packs a lot into the Republic’s first book, so we will have an easier time of it if we break the discussion into two chapters. In this chapter we will examine Socrates’ conversations with Cephalus and then wit..
This book springs from the happy confluence of two sources: my teaching the Republic every semest... more This book springs from the happy confluence of two sources: my teaching the Republic every semester in PHIL 101 at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and my offering a three-session class on the Republic to Chippewa Valley Learning in Retirement in the fall of 2013. Dr Mike O'Halloran, the indefatigably cheerful and intellectually curious retiree who thought the group would enjoy a presentation on philosophy turned out to be correct: the sessions were well attended and well received-if subsequent requests for more philosophy sessions are any indication. Although some philosophical friends were skeptical at my plan to devote an entire 'intro' course to the Republic, many students seem to have found the experience worthwhile, so I have continued with this somewhat old-fashioned way of introducing students to philosophy. This book has been shaped by my experience with both kinds of audiences. I thank the students it has been my privilege to teach over the years and the CVLR audiences for their questions, feedback, criticisms, and their laughing at some of my jokes. Many friends have helped in a variety of ways. Erica Benson, the life partner than which none greater could be conceived, provided insightful feedback on the entire manuscript, created the figures for the Divided Line, and talked me off the ledge more than once. Geoff Gorham has used parts of the manuscript in some of his courses and has given feedback and encouragement, as has his wife, the philosopher Amy Ihlan. Rod Cooke unwittingly served as a 'responsibility buddy' during a sabbatical, regularly asking me how it was going and when it might it be finished. My colleagues at UW-Eau Claire-Kristin Schaupp, Matt Meyer, and Steve Fink-models of collegiality all, have been sources It is a good light, then, for those That know the ultimate Plato, Tranquillizing with this jewel The torments of confusion.
... episode of Ulysses; I don't really notice the camera-work in the labyrinthine entran... more ... episode of Ulysses; I don't really notice the camera-work in the labyrinthine entrance to the Copacabana in Goodfellas; I'm completely in the dark when it comes to Caravaggio. ... Watson offers in On the Primacy of Character (1990). Watson groups theories by the ...
Having answered the Republic's first question, Plato has Socrates immediately start in on its sec... more Having answered the Republic's first question, Plato has Socrates immediately start in on its second: 'whether it is more profitable to act justly, live in a fine way, and be just, whether one is known to be so or not' (4.445a). Since his method is to work with claims that his interlocutors believe, we might have expected Socrates to pause and ask if anyone has any questions about the definition of justice they have arrived at, but instead he immediately starts in on the Republic's second question on the final page of Book IV. But as Book V begins, Polemarchus, who has been silent since Book I, jumps back into the fray, piping up with some questions which will lead to a 'digression' (8.543c), as Socrates later puts it, that comprises Books V, VI, and VII, taking up about one hundred pages of the Greek text. Literary Artistry as a Way of Doing Philosophy (5.449b-d) The opening of Book V is subtly but strikingly similar to the opening of Book I, and it is worth pausing to consider Plato's literary way of making a philosophical point. Book I, readers will remember, begins with Socrates and Glaucon returning to Athens proper from its port, the Piraeus. Polemarchus' unnamed slave bids them to wait for his master, after the slave 'caught hold of [Socrates'] cloak' (1.327b). In
Socrates regards the last of the Three Waves, 'whether it is possible for this constitution to co... more Socrates regards the last of the Three Waves, 'whether it is possible for this constitution to come into being' (5.471c), as 'the biggest and most difficult one' (5.472a). The constitution he refers to is not a written document as in the US or even a collection of documents as in the UK; it is the conceptual organization of the ideal city itself. 'Constitution' translates the Greek word πολιτεία (politeia, whence the English word 'politics'), which is in fact the Greek title of the Republic. Socrates thinks that the ideal polis is indeed possible, but the condition of its being made real is as bold as it is famous and controversial: Until philosophers rule as kings or those who are now called kings and leading men genuinely and adequately philosophize, that is, until political power and philosophy entirely coincide, while the many natures who at present pursue either one exclusively are forcibly prevented from doing so, cities will have no rest from evils, Glaucon, nor, I think, will the human race. And, until this happens, the constitution we have been describing in theory will never be born to the fullest extent possible or see the light of the sun. It is because I saw how very paradoxical this statement would be that I hesitated to make it for so long, for it is hard
The Allegory of the Cave is arguably the most famous part of the Republic. Although it is clearly... more The Allegory of the Cave is arguably the most famous part of the Republic. Although it is clearly related to the Sun and Divided Line analogies (indeed, Socrates explicitly connects the Cave and the Sun at 7.517bc), Plato marks its special status by opening Book VII with it, emphasizing its importance typographically, so to speak (he will do much the same thing in Book IX with the discussion of the tyrannical soul). Although an allegory is sometimes defined as a symbolic narrative that can be interpreted as having a hidden meaning, Plato is not cagey about the Cave Allegory's meaning: it is about 'the effect of education (παιδεία [paideia]) and the lack of it on our nature' (7.514a). Given how visual the allegory is, many readers will find it helpful to draw themselves a diagram of it. Education, the Allegory's topic, is not what most people think it is, says Plato: it is not 'putting knowledge into souls that lack it' (7.518b). Though education sometimes requires that kind of transmission of knowledge from teacher to student, this is not its essence, which instead is 'turning the whole soul' (7.518d)-turning it around, ultimately toward the Form of the good. Education as turning around is a powerful metaphor, capturing the way in which learning involves gaining new perspectives, seeing everyday things and events from new points of view. Everyone, Plato insists, is capable of education in this sense (7.518c). But not everyone is capable of making it out of the Cave into the intelligible world of the Forms, just as not everyone is capable of winning a Nobel Prize in Physics or an Olympic medal in Figure Skating. Nonetheless,
This book is a lucid and accessible companion to Plato’s Republic, throwing light upon the text’s... more This book is a lucid and accessible companion to Plato’s Republic, throwing light upon the text’s arguments and main themes, placing them in the wider context of the text’s structure. In its illumina� on of the philosophical ideas underpinning the work, it provides readers with an understanding and apprecia� on of the complexity and literary ar� stry of Plato’s Republic. McAleer not only unpacks the key overarching ques� ons of the text – What is justi ce? And Is a just life happier than an unjust life? – but also highlights some fascina� ng, overlooked passages which contribute to our understanding of Plato’s philosophical thought.
Uploads
Papers by Sean McAleer