Captain Harlock's blog: "Politics & Philosophy"

Yet, as for me, my belief may be given in this way: in the world of knowledge the idea of good comes to light last of all and is with difficulty perceived, but when it is perceived, we must infer about it that it is for all the source of all things right and beautiful, in the visible world the parent of light and of the lord of light, in the realm of thought appearing as the direct and supreme giver of truth and reason; and in fine on this idea must be fixed the earnest eyes of the man who would conduct himself rationally either in public or in private life."

" I agree with you as far as I am able to understand."

" Pray then," I continued, " concede another point, and do not wonder that those who have attained to this height are unwilling to take a part in the affairs of men; but their souls ever aspire after the upper world, to linger there. For this is surely natural, if the present instance, no less than the others, applies to our allegory."

" Yes, quite natural," he said.

" Is it then, do you think, at all surprising that a person, who turns from the contemplation of things divine to the miseries of men, makes but a poor figure and appears quite ridiculous, if, while his sight is still dim, and before he has become thoroughly habituated to the surrounding darkness, he is forced to contend in law courts or elsewhere about the shadows of justice or the images which cast these shadows, and to dispute thereon about the opinions of those who have never had a vision of absolute justice?"

" Not in the least surprising," he replied. " On the contrary," I proceeded, " a man of sense will remember that disturbances of the eyes are of two kinds and come from two opposite causes, the transition from light to darkness, and from darkness to light, but holding the same to be true of the mind's eye, when he observes any one whose soul is perplexed and unable to see distinctly, he will not laugh immoderately; he will rather inquire whether that soul has returned from a brighter life and is blinded from being unaccustomed to the darkness, or in passing from a deeper ignorance into greater brightness it has been dazzled by excess of radiance. And the first he will deem happy in its experience and manner of life, and he will pity the second; or if he is inclined to laugh at this soul, his laughter will be less ridiculous than that which assails him who redescends from the world of light."

" Nothing could be more fitly spoken."

IV. " If then," I said, " all this is true, we must reach the conclusion about the subject in hand that education is not what some of its professors declare it to be. For they say, I believe, that they can put knowledge into the soul, where it did not exist before, just as if they could put sight into blind eyes."

" Yes, they proclaim their ability to do this," he replied.

" Whereas, our present argument shows that there exists already in the soul of every one a faculty, and an instrument by which each of us can acquire knowledge; and that, just as (in our parable) the eye was unable to turn from darkness to light save with the whole body; so also must this instrument of knowledge be turned along with the entire soul from the world of becoming to the world of being until it is able to endure the contemplation of being and the brightest part of being. And this, we say, is the good, do we not ?"

" Yes."

" Hence education is not an art of putting sight into the soul's eye, where it is already, although not rightly directed or looking where it should, but an art of turning round this very eye in the easiest and most effectual manner, so that it may gain the perfect vision."

" Yes, so it appears," he replied.

" Now the other so-called virtues of the soul seem to be in a way akin to those of the body, since, as a matter of fact, they are not originally present in the soul, but are afterwards implanted there by habit and exercise; whereas the virtue of wisdom, unless I am mistaken, partakes of something far more divine, which never loses its power, but by conversion becomes useful and beneficent, or, on the other hand, useless and hurtful. Consider one of those persons who are generally held to be clever rogues. Have you never observed what extraordinary penetration his shriveled soul has, how keen he is to see through the things to which his attention is turned, thus proving that, while his power of vision is well-nigh faultless, he is compelled to make it the servant of wickedness, so that the more sharply he sees, so much the more evil he works ? "

" Yes, that is indeed true."

" But if now," I proceeded, " this soul bearing the impress of such a nature had from childhood been stripped and shorn of all things akin to what is transitory, which, like leaden weights, cling round it, these pleasures of the table and such like indulgences, and which turn downward the eye of the soul; if, I say, it had been delivered from these encumbrances and had been turned toward the truth, the selfsame faculty of the clever rogue would have seen this quite as clearly as he sees that to which his eyes are now turned."

" Very likely," he said.

" Again, is not this a natural, nay, even a necessary inference from what was said before, that neither those who are uneducated and unacquainted with the truth, nor those who are permitted to spend their whole life upon their studies, will ever be able guardians of a state; the former because they have no distinct aim in life with an eye to which they perform all their duties both private and public, the latter because they will render no service without compulsion, fancying that while they still live they have been translated to the Islands of the Blest?"

" Very true," he replied.

"Then," I said, "it is the task of us who are founders of the State to compel the most gifted minds to attain that knowledge which we have already declared to be supreme, to look upon the good, and to accomplish the upward journey we spoke of; but when they have made the ascent, and have contemplated the good for a reasonable space, we must refuse to grant them the liberty which is at present allowed them."

"What is that?"

" To remain in that upper world," I said, " and decline to come down again to the prisoners of the den, and to share in their toils and honors, whether worthless or desirable."

" What! " he asked, " shall we wrong them, and make them live a worse life, when it is in their power to live a better ? "

V. " You have again forgotten," I said, " my friend, that it is not the purpose of the law to make any one class in the State happy above all others,* but that it aims to secure the happiness of all, uniting the citizens by persuasion and compulsion, making them share with one another the benefits which they can severally confer upon the common weal; that the law itself creates such citizens in the State, not to leave them free to pursue each his own way, but to use them for binding the State together."

" Quite true," he replied; " I had forgotten." " Furthermore observe, my dear Glaucon," I continued, " that after all we shall be doing no wrong to those among us who are philosophers but shall be telling them what is right when we persuade them to care for and protect their fellow citizens. For we shall tell them that in other states it is reasonable that men of their stamp should take no part in the labors of public life; for they spring up of their own free will, with the government in each case opposed to them. Now it is fair that the plant of natural growth, which owes its culture to no one, should not be eager to pay the price of its culture to any one. But you we have called into being for the profit of yourselves and of the whole State as well, to be, so to speak, leaders and monarchs of the hive; to this end, we have given you a better and more complete education which enables you more perfectly than the others to combine the study of philosophy with the conduct of affairs. Therefore you must each in his turn go down to the dwelling-place of the others and acquire the habit of looking upon the darkness. For when you have once grown accustomed to it, you will see infinitely better than the people of the den the several images, and discern their nature and origin, because you have seen the truth of whatsoever thing's are beautiful, just and good. And thus it shall be our lot and yours to find that our State is a waking reality, and not a dream, like many states of the present day where men are fighting about shadows and contending for power as though that were a mighty good. Whereas the truth is, I suppose, that the State in which those destined to rule are least eager for authority must be best and most peaceably governed, while the worst government will be found in the state which gets ambitious rulers."

" Perfectly true," he replied.

" And when our pupils hear this, will they, think you, disobey us, and refuse to take part, turn and turn about, in public affairs, choosing rather to pass the greater part of their time together in the region of pure light?"

" Impossible," he answered; " for we shall impose just commands upon men who are just. On the contrary, each of them will doubtless come to his post of authority, looking on it as a necessity, not at all after the manner of those who now hold office in each state."