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A Base Ochlocracy


Davis, Henry 1854. General Introduction. In: The Works of Plato. A new and literal version, chiefly from the text of stallbaum. Vol. II: Containing The Republic, Timæus and Critias.. By Henry Davis. London: Henry G. Bohn, i-xxvii. [Internet Archive]

Almost contemporaneously among the learned of Europe, there has arisen a tendency to study the sublime, spiritual philosophy of Plato, in prefernece to the cold materialism of Aristotle, on which have been erected so many of the systems that have risen and had their day in our literary world. That this has not hithero been the case, and that Platonism (which, in its spiritualising and purifying tendency, may be deemed to approach Christianity,) has not hithero been exalted to its true dignity and station in metaphysical history, is chiefly attributable to the absurd mysticism and fanatical extravagances which the New Platonists introduced in their interpretations, and which have too frequently been regarded as true expositions of the great philosopher, by modern writers either too lazy or too ignorant to go and drink the clear waters at the fountain-head. (Davis 1854: i)

Plato is spiritual, Aristotle is dry, the neoplatonists (Plotinus, Proclus, etc.) are incomprehensible.

His youth falls in the tim eof the Peloponnesian war; and his whole life is closely connected with that brilliant period when the literature of Attica, historical, dramatic, and rhetorical, was at the zenith of its glory, - at a time, however, (we must add,) when the seeds of Athenian decay were being rapidly brought to maturity by the substitution of a base and brutalizing ochlocracy for the rational government of good and patriotic men, - and by the elevation of a troop of superficial, seductive, truth-perverting, applause-loving sophists to the throne of true, noble, elevating, divine philosophy. (Davis 1854: ii)

Define:ochlocracy - "government by the populace; mob rule."

He visited Megara, Cyrene, the Greek cities in Magna Græcia and Sicily, (where he became acquainted wit hArchytas, Philolaus, and others of the Pythagorean school;) and he travelled even as far as Egypt, where he stayed thirteen years in gaining an insight into the mysterious doctrines and priest-lore of the sacredotal caste. (Davis 1854: iii)

Curious to find out which "others" aside from Archytas, Philolaus and Dion.

Whatever may have been their intentions, however, they were all frustrated by the weak and luxurious character of Dionysius, who, however he might relish for a time the sage and virtuous lessons of Plato, soon found it more conformable to his personal interests to follow the counsels of Philiston, his father's friend and adviser. Dion thereupon became the object of his nephew's jealousy, and was banished on the ground of his ambitious designs. (Davis 1854: iv)

You philistenes! Oh, I mean, Philiston.

But, howevere essentially different the form of the dialogues adopted by Plato from that pursued by other writers, they were composed, as respects their matter, with constant refyerence to the labours of his predecessors. In fact, his whole system is rather critical and eclectic than dogmatical; and several of his dialogues assume the form of criticisms on the notions of former philosophers, rather than the formal developments of any doctrines of his own. He was thoroughly conversant not only with the leading principles and peculiar system of Socrates, but had no mean acquaintance, besides, with the notions of Pythagoras, Heracleitus, Parmenides, Empedocles, Zeno, Anaxagoras, and Protagoras, - extracts from whose writings, with animadversions on their opinions, are abundantly scattered throughout his works. (Davis 1854: vi)

A rundown of Plato's philosophical predecessors.

His entire system is based, in fact, on some grand and novel ideas, perhaps faintly shadowed forth by others, but never clearly unfolded till the time of Plato. The opposition between the general law and the particular facts, between the objects of reflection and the objects of the senses, between the world of intelligence and the visible world, was never clearly proclaimed till Plato announced it. Socrates, indeed, awakened the germ of science, and laid the foundation of dialectics; but it was Plato who gave system and consistency to the whole. (Davis 1854: vi)

A claim I have not seen before. Perhaps it's too obvious for many to mention.

The most obvious arrangement is according to their chronological order; - and viewing them in this light, we may divide them into three classes. In the first are those written by Plato before he set out on his travels, - namely, the Lysis, Phædrus, Laches, Hippias major, Protagoras, Charmides, Ion, Menon, Alcibiades i., Euthydemus, Euthyphron, Crito, and the Apology of Socrates; - in the second are those which he drew up on his return from his travels, and before his second journey to Sicily, - namely, the Gorgias, Theætetus, Sophistes, Politicus, Cratylus, Parmenides, the Symposium, Menexenus, Philebus, and Phædo; and in the Third we place those written in more advanced life, when his views had become matured, and his doctrines thoroughly digested into one harmonious system, - namely, that noble trilogy comprising the Timæus, Critias, and Republic, - to which ma ybe added the long dialogue of the Laws, which, though perfectly genuine, is but loosely connected with the general system of PLato's philosophy, and seems to be quite an extraneous section of this part of his writings. (Davis 1854: vii)

Recording this for sake of comparison, because the order is sure to be improved before the end of that century, even.

We have particularised here only those Dialogues which are usually regarded as genuine. The Hipparchus, Minos, Alcibiades ii, Clitophon, Theages, Eryxias, Demodocus, Epinomis, and the Letters, are of disputable origin, and to be assigned, probably, to some of Plato's followers. (Davis 1854: vii, fn)

The list is growing (cf. Taylor 1804: cv, fn 1).

"It would be proved, if by nothing else, by one little touch in the Republic. The Republic is the summary of his whole system, and the key-stones of all the other Dialogues are uniformly let into it. But the object of the Republic is to exhibit the misery of man let loose from law, and to throw out a general plan for making him subject to law, and thus to perfect his nature. This is exhibited on a large scale in the person of a State; [...]" (Sewell; in Davis 1854: viii)

Is that what the Republic is about? How laws can perfect the nature of man?

With Plato, however, as with Socrates, the awakening of doubt was not [|] merely a vain display of logical skill and clever cavilling, but had for its object the removal of the unstable ground on which opinions may have been rested, and the formation of more settled convictions: - indeed, it was exalted by him into a regular discipline of the mind set in operation for the single purpose of investigating the truth. (Davis 1854: ix-x)

Define:cavilling - "make petty or unnecessary objections."

God, then, is the good itself, of which this sensible world is only an image. But in the present world it ought to be man's endeavour to enlarge and cultivate his science, in order that, by attaining to as pure a knowledge as possible of the multiplicity of ideas, he may be able to discern therein, however imperfectly, the unity of truth and science which subsists in the good. (Davis 1854: xv)

The world is an image of god.

Of Plato's moral doctrines, the most important are the following: - that, independently of other ends, virtue is to be pursued as the true good of thes oul, the proper perfection of man's nature, the power by which the soul fitly accomplishes its existence, whereas vice is a disease of the mind (Republ. iv. 444. c.), arising from delusion or imperfect apprehension of our proper interests; - that the real freedom of a rational being consists in an ability to regulate his conduct by reason, and that every one not guided by his reason, encourages insubordination in the mental faculties, and becomes the slave of caprice or passion; (πολλῆς μὲν δουλείας τε κ, ἀνελευθερίας γέμει ἡ ψυχὴ αὐτοῦ. Republ. ix. 577. d.) - that virtuous conduct, apart from its benefits to society, is advantageous to the individual practising it, inasmuch as it ensures that regularity of the imagination, - that tranquility and internal harmony, which constitutes the mind's proper happiness. (Davis 1854: xvii)

What in the world does virtuous conduct have to do with the regularity of the imagination? And what of the opposite: does vice lead to irregular imagination?

The Republic of Plato is a development of the analogy between the ideas of the perfect man and the perfect State, - the two principles being elaborated throughout the Dialogue, in perfect harmony and mutual dependence on each other. (Davis 1854: xix)

What dependence? If I compare two things, does that comparison establish a dependence between those two things?

Commencing with the consideration of Virtue, (which consists in the harmonious cultivation of the different intellectual and moral faculties,) he opens the inquiry with a kind of analysis or the human mind, which he divides into three parts, - first, the rational or reasoning principle, (τὸ λογιστικὸν), - secondly, the spirit or will, (τὸ θυμικὸν or θυμοειδὲς), - and thirdly, the appetite or passion (τὸ ἐπιθυμητικὸν), - which last, however, indicates nothing beyond that vital impulse which leads from one sensation to another. (Davis 1854: xx)

The parts of soul. This is the first I've seen someone insert "will" into secodness.

Furthermore, - from the exercise and combination of these three faculties there are generated four principal or cardinal virtues: - 1. Prudence or Wisdom (ϕρονήσις); - 2. Courage or Fortitude (ἀνδρεία), by which Plato means the maintenance of right opinion as to what is and is not to be feared, (περὶ τῶν δεινῶν,) i.e. as to good and evil; - 3. Temperance or Self-controul (σωϕροσύνη); - and 4. Justice (δικαιοσύνη), which, with Plato, does not simply mean the virtue of rendering to all their due, but stands for that harmonious and proportional development of the inner man, by means of which each faculty of his soul performs its own functions without interfering with the others. (Davis 1854: xxi)

The only thing odd about this is "Prudence", which I usually associate with secondness. Define:prudence - "the quality of being prudent; cautiousness."

These he classes under three heads or divisions, corresponding with the faculties of the soul, - viz., 1. the βουλευτικὸν, (counsellors) those who employ reason in the contemplation of what best suits the State, - 2. the ἐπικουρικὸν, - those who aid the βουλευταί with a ready will, - 3. the χρηματιστικὸν, who are bent on gain and selfish gratification. (Davis 1854: xiii)

Guards, auxiliaries and merchants. First time seeing them named in Greek. The auxiliaries represent epicureanism?

Whewell, William 1861. Preface. In: The Platonic Dialogues for English Readers. Vol. III: The Republic and The Timæus. Cambridge: MacMillan and Co, v-x. [Internet Archive]

When I published the first volume of my Platonic Dialogues for English Readers, it was done as an experiment to ascertain whether I was right in supposing that a large portion of the Platonic Dialogues could, by combining translation and comment, be made intelligible and even interesting to ordinary readers of English literature. The reception which that publication met with was such as to encourage me to publish other Dialogues of which I had already, for my own gratification, made translations in the same manner; and even to go on to translate some additional Dialogues, for the purpose of continuing the series. (Whewell 1861: v)

Translating Plato for fun.

The Republic contains, especially, a theory respecting the foundations of morality which, if true, supplies an answer to many of the questions discussed in the previous Classes of Dialogues. In those previous Classes, Plato was in search of ethical definitions and ethical truths: in the Republic, he conceives himself to have found such definitions and such truths. (Whewell 1861: vi)

The Republic stands out as a dialogue in which Plato puts forward a theory of his own, rather than merely criticizing those of others.

The Republic, being thus mainly didactic, loses one of the principal charms of the previous Dialogues, the lively drama of conversational debate: except in the First Book of the Republic, the Thrasymachus, which is really a Dialogue of the Anti-sophist class. (Whewell 1861: vii)

Book I is as though a separate dialogue titled Thrasymachus after its most memorable character.

[...] add to this, subtle speculations concerning the soul and its faculties, anticipating the most acute analyses of modern psychologists: - and we have, I think, matter in which the English reader may find grounds for an admiration of Plato, and a pleasure in reading him, not altogether disproportionate to the reputation which belongs to his name. (Whewell 1861: viii)

I'm basically here because 19th century philosophical psychology is rooted in Plato's tripartite theory of the soul.

Whewell, William 1861. Introduction to the Republic. In: The Platonic Dialogues for English Readers. Vol. III: The Republic and The Timæus. Cambridge: MacMillan and Co, 3-5. [Internet Archive]

The title of this Dialogue might be more properly rendered The Polity: since, as M. Cousin observes, it does not describe or single out any particular kind of constitution, such as the term Republic indicates. This Polity is no more a Republic than a Monarchy or an Aristocracy; and PLato repeatedly calls it by both these names. (Whewell 1861: 3)

Similar issue in Estonian: it is recommended we not even use Riik ("State") over Vabariik ("Republic", literally 'free state') but just call it Politeia after the Greek original (cf. Lepajõe 2022: 15-16).

The Second Part, which I have entitled Of the Ideal Polity and of Virtue, is really the cardinal and essential part of the work; describing, as I have already said, Plato's idea of a Perfect State, and illustrating, by means of that, the moral constitution of a virtuous man. And accordingly this Part ends (at the end of Book IV.) with a formal conclusion. But the Third Part, Of Bad Polities and of Vices, illustrates negatively what the second Part had illustrated positively, and ends (at the beginning of Book IX.) with a still more formal conclusion. (Whewell 1861: 4)

This structure can also be found in some "Synoptic Table[s] of Contents".

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