Shayu
Platinum Member
- May 24, 2011
- 608
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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. If we only knew that they were virtuousor at least not inferior to others in virtuethen, Socratess friends agree, we could be sure that they are the ones most fit to rule. Luckily, we do know that philosophers are superior in virtue to everyone else. A philosopher loves truth more than anything else (philosopher means lover of truth or wisdom); his entire soul strives after truth. This means that the rational part of his soul must rule, which means that his soul is just.
Adeimantus remains unconvinced. None of the philosophers he has ever known have been like Socrates is describing. Most philosophers are useless, and those that are not useless tend to be vicious. Socrates, surprisingly, agrees with Adeimantuss condemnation of the contemporary philosopher, but he argues that the current crop of philosophers have not been raised in the right way. Men born with the philosophical naturecourageous, high-minded, quick learners, with faculties of memoryare quickly preyed upon by family and friends, who hope to benefit from their natural gifts. They are encouraged to enter politics in order to win money and power by their parasitic family and friends. So they are inevitably led away from the philosophical life. 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. These people are vicious.
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. He compares the situation to a ship on which the ship owner is hard of hearing, has poor vision, and lacks sea-faring skills. All of the sailors on the ship quarrel over who should be captain, though they know nothing about navigation. In lieu of any skill, they make use of brute force and clever tricks to get the ship owner to choose them as captain. 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 this scenario, Socrates points out, the true captainthe man who knows the craft of navigationwould be called a useless stargazer. The current situation in Athens is analogous: no one has any idea that there is real knowledge to be had, a craft to living. Instead, everyone tries to get ahead by clever, often unjust, tricks. Those few good philosophers who turn their sights toward the Forms and truly know things are deemed useless.
All that we need to make our city possible, Socrates concludes, is one such philosopher-kingone person with the right nature who is educated in the right way and comes to grasp the Forms. This, he believes, is not all that impossible.
There will be no end to the troubles of states, or of humanity itself, till philosophers become kings in this world, or till those we now call kings and rulers really and truly become philosophers, and political power and philosophy thus come into the same hands.
Kwanini plato anasema maneno haya mazito?? ya kwamba matatizo ya dunia hayatakwisha mpaka pale wanafalsafa watakapoingia madarakani?? Ukweli ni kwamba mpe ''power'' mwenye busara na ataitumia ipasavyo na mpe -------- ataitumia kwa starehe na kwa manufaa yake binafsi. Moyo wa mwanafalsafa uko katika kujenga jamii ana clear idea ya jamii inavyotakiwa kuwa na kufanya kazi, mtu wa kawaida hawezi kuwa na hili. Akili ya mwanafalsafa kila wakati inatafakuri na mawazo yake ni ya hali ya juu ya uhalisia; anatafuta ukweli kila wakati na njia bora ya maisha anakaa mbali na kila aina ya ujinga. Ni mtu ambaye all bad elements of his mind zimeondoka na amekuwa transformed, hawezi kufanya maamuzi kutokana na uchu au tamaa bali kutokana na fikra sahihi. Ana clear vision of what is just, right and fair, anampa kila mtu anachostahili bila upendeleo . Ni wanafalsafa pekee aliyepikika na kuwa transformed ana uwezo wa kujenga a just and harmonius society.[/SIZE]
Adeimantus remains unconvinced. None of the philosophers he has ever known have been like Socrates is describing. Most philosophers are useless, and those that are not useless tend to be vicious. Socrates, surprisingly, agrees with Adeimantuss condemnation of the contemporary philosopher, but he argues that the current crop of philosophers have not been raised in the right way. Men born with the philosophical naturecourageous, high-minded, quick learners, with faculties of memoryare quickly preyed upon by family and friends, who hope to benefit from their natural gifts. They are encouraged to enter politics in order to win money and power by their parasitic family and friends. So they are inevitably led away from the philosophical life. 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. These people are vicious.
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. He compares the situation to a ship on which the ship owner is hard of hearing, has poor vision, and lacks sea-faring skills. All of the sailors on the ship quarrel over who should be captain, though they know nothing about navigation. In lieu of any skill, they make use of brute force and clever tricks to get the ship owner to choose them as captain. 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 this scenario, Socrates points out, the true captainthe man who knows the craft of navigationwould be called a useless stargazer. The current situation in Athens is analogous: no one has any idea that there is real knowledge to be had, a craft to living. Instead, everyone tries to get ahead by clever, often unjust, tricks. Those few good philosophers who turn their sights toward the Forms and truly know things are deemed useless.
All that we need to make our city possible, Socrates concludes, is one such philosopher-kingone person with the right nature who is educated in the right way and comes to grasp the Forms. This, he believes, is not all that impossible.
There will be no end to the troubles of states, or of humanity itself, till philosophers become kings in this world, or till those we now call kings and rulers really and truly become philosophers, and political power and philosophy thus come into the same hands.
Kwanini plato anasema maneno haya mazito?? ya kwamba matatizo ya dunia hayatakwisha mpaka pale wanafalsafa watakapoingia madarakani?? Ukweli ni kwamba mpe ''power'' mwenye busara na ataitumia ipasavyo na mpe -------- ataitumia kwa starehe na kwa manufaa yake binafsi. Moyo wa mwanafalsafa uko katika kujenga jamii ana clear idea ya jamii inavyotakiwa kuwa na kufanya kazi, mtu wa kawaida hawezi kuwa na hili. Akili ya mwanafalsafa kila wakati inatafakuri na mawazo yake ni ya hali ya juu ya uhalisia; anatafuta ukweli kila wakati na njia bora ya maisha anakaa mbali na kila aina ya ujinga. Ni mtu ambaye all bad elements of his mind zimeondoka na amekuwa transformed, hawezi kufanya maamuzi kutokana na uchu au tamaa bali kutokana na fikra sahihi. Ana clear vision of what is just, right and fair, anampa kila mtu anachostahili bila upendeleo . Ni wanafalsafa pekee aliyepikika na kuwa transformed ana uwezo wa kujenga a just and harmonius society.[/SIZE]
