Ayzman 1 Simon Ayzman A Just Order: Social and Political Thought Professor Darren Staloff September 21, 2012 The Metametaphors of Plato‟s Republic The philosophical formulations in Plato‟s Republic adhere to a very methodical interplay between the construction, destruction, and elaboration of arguments on the part of Socrates. The compelling nature of his principles, however, stems emphatically from the inextricable link between the content of Socrates‟ ideas and the form in which he presents them. His metaphors and analogies serve not merely to illustrate particular concepts in specific contexts, but to function as microcosms for his overarching project to educate the group of men around him. Carefully intertwining the prospects of the noble lie and the divided line with an ironic attempt to bring the interlocutors „out of the cave,‟ Plato builds the arguments of Socrates in frameworks consistent with the very images he refers to, and as a result, the author effectively develops a plotline that refers to and strengthens itself through the subtly metaphysical ideas contained within. One of the important concepts that Socrates indicates as necessary in the creation of the just city—and thus, the just man—is that of the noble lie. He maintains that propagating these lies, such as the populace‟s mutual origin from the earth and the myth of the metals, is essential in creating and preserving unity within the city. This seems true enough at the initial stage of Socrates‟ construction because aligning the people with such a fabrication would “be good for making them care more for the city and one another” (415d). In reality, however, the entire
Ayzman 2 concept of the noble lie is closely interconnected with Socrates‟ elucidation of the divided line. In scaling up the ladder from images to objects to mathematics to forms, the overarching main distinction that he makes is between that which is seen and that which is intellected—the opinable and the knowable respectively. The lies he tells with his myths seek to build a landscape with which knowledge can be realized, but Socrates‟ does so by supposing that he “will leave out quite a bit. . . but all the same, insofar as it‟s possible at [the] present, [he will] not leave anything out willingly” (509c). The nature of his argument tactic is to provide comprehension on the highest level possible at the current moment through his spectators‟ present position in the divided line. In effect, his lies represent some distorted version of the forms as they appear in the lower stages of understanding; the lower one is on the line, the further from true knowledge they find themselves. However, the nobility of Socrates‟ half-truths and unfilled gaps derive from the fact that they do still characterize some portion of the objective truth, and if one “arrange[s the segments] in a proportion, and believe[s] that as the segments to which they correspond participate in truth, so they participate in clarity” (511e). Thus, while this method of progressive education may undoubtedly use noble lies, it still has the potential for intellection by allowing one to comprehend the forms at the pinnacle of knowledge. Moreover, the noble lie has significance beyond just its role as an indistinct, incomplete reflection of the truth. Once the foundations of Socrates‟ myths have been set, for example, he can extrapolate upon his concepts of bronze, silver, and gold souls, and reach a greater understanding of such characters and how they will engage the city. It soon becomes apparent, however, that Socrates‟ outline of the just city faces some opposition from the other thinkers, because in fact, they have implicitly accepted his premises, the noble lies themselves. The
Ayzman 3 internalization of the myths followed by an evermore-elevated discussion is a crucial element in Plato‟s advancement of the philosophical doctrines in the text, for it indicates development on the level of the individual as well. Indeed, the true literary success is how this forward motion metaphysically parallels progression through the divided line; the beginnings of Socrates‟s arguments actually resemble the initial formation of the just city itself—with Socrates referring to fabricated metaphors as a means of pseudo-explanation. In particular, one noteworthy instance of such a configuration is when Socrates argues in favor of the philosopher-king as the just ruler, despite the protests that philosophers are either too vicious or too disconnected from society to be any good for the people. As usual, he begins with an image, this time describing the disjointed relationship between the shipowner, the sailors, and the true pilot. What is interesting, however, is that even though the sailors ferociously vie for power, the ship still sails because of the pilot‟s direction. This draws an interesting connection to the very beginning of the Republic when the sophists arrest Socrates and begin the discussion about justice; while the pseudo-intellectual men put forth their own philosophical rationales, Socrates is the only one who genuinely seeks to peruse their various concepts for the construction of a greater philosophical sense of justice. Socrates is thus still steering the ship, and is trying to guide the other sailors into his rhythm as well. The other prominent example of Plato‟s metametaphorical structure occurs immediately after Socrates‟ demarcation of how the elements of the divided line must be arranged. In virtually the next few lines after this concept is established, Plato cleverly has his philosopher protagonist introduce the metaphor of the cave, which is an image in and of itself (514a). In fact, Socrates actually uses the word „image‟ in setting the context, which seems to be an ironic, but nonetheless intentional reference. Plato is
Ayzman 4 once again pushing the reader and the interlocutors across a microcosmic rendition of the divided line, all while attempting to explain the concept at the same time. The incredible precision within Plato‟s combination of content and form is apparent in the many metaphors and analogies he designs to bolster the arguments of the Republic. This ever-noticeable connection illustrates a method of argumentation that drives home the point of learning on multiple levels of visible and intellectable knowledge. And while the concept of extolling comprehension through images may initially seem like a lie, the individual‟s progression through the divided line indeed shows the noble and self-correcting mechanisms that the lie actually has. Plato‟s intellectual frameworks effectually serve a multi-fortifying purpose; not only do they encourage enlightenment by allowing freedom from a metaphorical cave, they metaphysically reiterate themselves in the very real context of discussion.
Works Cited Plato. The Republic of Plato. Trans. Allan David Bloom. [New York]: Basic, 1991. Print.
