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Plato on the Enslavement of Reason

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 January 2020

Mark A. Johnstone
Mark A. Johnstone*
Affiliation:
Department of Philosophy, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
*
Email: mjohnst@mcmaster.ca
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Abstract

In Republic 8–9, Socrates describes four main kinds of vicious people, all of whose souls are “ruled” by an element other than reason, and in some of whom reason is said to be “enslaved.” What role does reason play in such souls? In this paper, I argue, based on Republic 8–9 and related passages, and in contrast to some common alternative views, that for Plato the “enslavement” of reason consists in this: instead of determining for itself what is good, reason is forced to desire and pursue as good a goal determined by the soul’s ruler.

Keywords

Platosoulreasonspiritappetitedesirevice

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Type
Article
Information
Canadian Journal of Philosophy , Volume 50 , Issue 3 , April 2020 , pp. 382 - 394
Copyright
© The Author(s) 2020. Published by Canadian Journal of Philosophy

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