Plato's Republic: Defining Virtues

Civic and Personal Wisdom, Bravery, Temperance, and Justice from Plato's Republic

Wisdom

  • Definition: The ability to see the connections between things when making decisions, whether for a community or personally.
  • Unwise Ruler (Civic Wisdom):
    • Possesses only a single perspective, preventing a holistic understanding of the community.
    • Example: A farmer becoming president might understand farming's relationship to wagon makers but lacks knowledge of how all other community members are interrelated.
    • Such a ruler makes decisions divorced from comprehensive knowledge, potentially creating laws that, while seemingly good, might inadvertently harm other sections of the city.
    • Over time, this lack of foresight can lead to the destruction of the community itself.
  • Unwise Individual (Personal Wisdom):
    • Stems from a lack of understanding of the causal dependencies between one's psychological drives.
    • Example: Pursuing golf without realizing its dependence on one's job.
    • Requires deep self-reflection to identify, organize, and prioritize one's drives.
    • Only then can an individual make decisions consistent with their true self.
  • Significance: Wisdom is crucial for making decisions that are sustainable over time for both the community and the individual psyche.

Bravery

  • Social/Civic Bravery (Golds and Silvers):
    • Pertains to soldiers (Silvers) preserving the education about what is and is not to be feared, and in what order, as dictated by the rulers (Golds).
    • The Golds establish communal values and a rational order of fears; the Silvers must uphold these, even when tempted to deviate.
    • Example: Fearing death, slavery, exile, or an enemy soldier charging past. These fears are legitimate, but their order is crucial.
    • One should not fear dying more than fearing an enemy getting past and harming the community that the soldier is sworn to protect.
    • Definition: Civic valor or bravery is demonstrated when the Silvers can remember and act upon a rationally prioritized list of fears in the face of fear itself.
  • Personal Bravery (High Spirit and Rational):
    • The same principle applies to the individual soul.
    • It involves the proud self holding onto what should and should not be feared, and in what order, as determined by the rational part.
    • Example: If one's priorities are family, career, and cigarettes, wisdom would order them rationally (e.g., family > career > cigarettes).
    • Bravery comes into play when behavior is inconsistent with these priorities (e.g., smoking despite defining oneself as a family person, knowing it will lead to premature separation).</n * When the rational part gives an order (e.g.,