For what I am doing, I do not understand.

For
what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I
hate, that I do.

Paul, Romans 7:15

Im just a girl who caint say no,
Im in a terrible fix.
I always say, Come on, lets go!
Jist when I orta say Nix.

Ado Annie, Oklahoma
c. 428/423-347 BC, Athens
Born into a wealthy, influential, and politically prominent
Athenian family
Put aside early all public ambition and devoted himself to
his writing and his teaching and research in the
philosophical school he founded, the Academy
Deeply influenced by Socrates, whom he co-opted as the
central speaker in his dialogues
Did not tend to write doctrines in a straightforward,
treatise-like manner
His reflections are usually scattered throughout a number
of works, often reflecting different interests, concerns,
and thoughts at different times

The story of Leontius (Republic 439e-440a):

But theres a story I once heard which seems to
me to be reliable, I said, about how Leontius the
son of Aglaeon was coming up from the Piraeus,
outside the North Wall but close to it, when he saw
some corpses with the public executioner standing
near by. On the one hand, he experienced the
desire to see them, but at the same time he felt
disgusted and averted his gaze.

The story of Leontius (Republic 439e-440a):

For a while, he struggled and kept his hands over
his eyes, but finally he was overcome by the desire;
he opened his eyes wide, ran up to the corpses,
and said, There you are, you wretches! What a
lovely sight! I hope you feel satisfied!



Theres a conflict here between what and what?

What does Leontius feel about this gory sight?

What does Leontius feel about how he feels about
this gory sight?

How would you describe this kind of conflict?
Plato draws a big conclusion:

A single thing doesnt simultaneously move in
opposite directions

The mind can simultaneously move in opposite
directions

So the mind must not be a single thing it must
have at least two separate parts!
Emotion Desire
Is disgusted by curiosity
about the corpses
Emotion Desire
Is disgusted by curiosity Is curious about the
about the corpses corpses anyway


Emotion Desire
Is disgusted by curiosity Is curious about the
about the corpses corpses anyway

Is angered by curiosity
about the corpses
Emotion Desire
Is disgusted by curiosity Is curious about the
about the corpses corpses anyway

Is angered by curiosity Is curious about the
about the corpses corpses anyway


Emotion Desire
Is disgusted by curiosity Is curious about the
about the corpses corpses anyway

Is angered by curiosity Is curious about the
about the corpses corpses anyway

Finds curiosity about the
corpses inappropriate
Emotion Desire
Is disgusted by curiosity Is curious about the
about the corpses corpses anyway

Is angered by curiosity Is curious about the
about the corpses corpses anyway

Finds curiosity about the Is curious about the
corpses inappropriate corpses anyway
When someone is thirsty, the only thingin so far as
he is thirstythat his mind wants is to drink. This
is what it longs and strives for.
Clearly.
So imagine an occasion when something is making it
resist the pull of its thirst: isnt this bound to be a
different part of it from the thirsty part, which is
impelling it towards drink as if it were an animal?
Do we know of cases where thirsty people are
unwilling to drink?
Certainly, he said. Its a common occurrence.

What could be the explanation for these cases? I
asked. Dont we have to say that their mind
contains a part which is telling them to drink,
and a part which is telling them not to drink,
and that this is a different part and overcomes
the part which is telling them to drink?
I think so, he said.

So it wouldnt be irrational of us to expect that
these are two separate parts, I said, one of which
we can describe as rational, and the other as
irrational and desirous. The first is responsible for
the minds capacity to think rationally, and the
secondwhich is an ally of certain satisfactions
and pleasuresfor its capacity to feel lust, hunger,
and thirst, and in general to be stirred by desire.
Plato draws a big conclusion again:

A single thing doesnt simultaneously move in
opposite directions

The mind can simultaneously move in opposite
directions

So the mind must not be a single thing it must
have at least two separate parts!


Emotion vs. Desire

Reason vs. Desire

Emotion ??? Reason
Its not at all uncommon to find a persons desires
compelling him to go against his reason, and to see
him cursing himself and venting his passion on the
source of the compulsion within him. Its as if
there were two warring factions, with passion
fighting on the side of reason.
Is passion different from the rational part, then,
or is it a version of it, in which case there are
two, not three, mental categoriesthe rational
and the desirous?
But thats easy, he said. Just look at children.
Its evident that from the moment of their birth
they have a copious supply of passion, but Im
not convinced that some of them ever acquire
reason, and it takes quite a time for most of
them to do so.
And animals provide further evidence of the
truth of what youre saying. Moreover, we can
adduce this passage from Homer: He struck his
breast and spoke sternly to his heart. Clearly,
Homer here has one distinct part rebuking another
distinct partthe part which has thought
rationally about what is better and worse rebuking
the part whose passion is irrationally becoming
aroused.
Why does he think reason & emotion are so
closely allied?

Why does he think they are different parts?
Animals
Children
Reason rebuking emotion

If they are so different, how can they also be so
closely allied?
#1
Its not at all uncommon to find a persons desire
compelling him to go against his reason, and to see
him cursing himself and venting his passion on the
source of the compulsion within him. Its as if
there were two warring factions, with passion
fighting on the side of reason. (440b)

#2
But suppose you feel youre being wronged.
Under these circumstances your passion boils and
rages, and fights for what you regard as right.
Then hunger, cold, and other sufferings make you
stand firm and conquer them, and only success or
death can stop it fighting the good fight, unless it
is recalled by your rational mind and calmed
down, as a dog is by a shepherd. (440c-d)
#3
Thats a very good simile, he said, And in fact
the part weve got the auxiliaries to play in our
community is just like that of dogs, with their
masters being the rulers, who are, as it were, the
shepherds of the community. (440d)
#4
Now let us stay with the threefold division of each
soul we made at the beginning of our story: two
forms in the shape of horses and one like a
charioteer. Of the horses, one, we said, is good and
the other not The one on the nobler side is
upright in form and clean limbed, with a high neck
and commanding nose; he is white in color, with
dark eyes. He is a lover of honor accompanied by
self-restraint and a sense of shame and is a
companion of true glory. He needs no whipthe
charioteer guides him by command and word along.
The other one is crooked and massive, badly put
together, with a thick, short neck and snub nose;
he is dark-colored, with bloodshot gray eyes. He is
a companion of excess and showing off. He is
shaggy round the ears and deaf, scarcely yielding
to the whip along with the goad. (Phaedrus)
#5
Lets construct a theoretical model of the mind
Something along the lines of those creatures who
throng the ancient myths, like the Chimera, Scylla,
and Cerberus, and so on whose form is a
composite of the features of more than one
creature.
That would take some skilful modelling, he
remarked, but since words are a more plastic
material than wax and so on, you may consider the
model constructed.
A lion and a man are the next two models to
make, then. The first of the models, however, is to
be by far the largest, and the second the second
largest.
Thats an easier job, he said. Its done.
Now join the three of them together until they
become one, as it were And for the final coat, give
them the external appearance of a single entity.
Make them look like a person, so that anyone
incapable of seeing whats inside, who can see only
the external husk, will see a single creature, a
human being. (Republic 588b-e)
REASON EMOTION DESIRE
Faction Ally Faction
Ruler Auxiliary Worker

Shepherd Dog [Conquered]
Charioteer Good horse Bad horse

Man Lion Monster
REASON EMOTION DESIRE

Leads Obeys Incorrigible

Human Animal Animal

You Not you Not you