Plato and the Other Companions of Sokrates, 3rd ed. Volume 4 — Plato — John Shaqi
Plato and the Other Companions of Sokrates, 3rd ed. Volume 4
Plato · en
Theological view of Astronomy--Divine Kosmos--Soul more ancient
and more sovereign than Body 421
Improving effects of the study of Astronomy in this spirit 422
Study of arithmetic and geometry: varieties of proportion 423
When the general forms of things have thus been learnt, particular
individuals in nature must be brought under them _ib._
Question as to education of the Nocturnal Council is answered in
the Epinomis 424
Problem which the Nocturnal Council are required to solve,
What is the common property of Prudence, Courage, Temperance,
Justice, by reason of which each is called Virtue? 425
The only common property is that all of them are essential to the
maintenance of society, and tend to promote human security and
happiness _ib._
Tendency of the four opposite qualities to lessen human happiness
426
A certain measure of all the four virtues is required. In judging
of particular acts instigated by each, there is always a tacit
reference to the hurt or benefit in the special case _ib._
Plato places these four virtues in the highest scale of Expetenda
or Bona, on the ground that all the other Bona are sure to flow
from them 428
In thus directing the attention of the Council to the common
property of the four virtues, Plato enforces upon them the
necessity of looking to the security and happiness of their
community as the paramount end 429
But he enjoins also other objectionable ends _ib._
Intolerance of Plato--Comparison of the Platonic community with
Athens _ib._
PLATO.
CHAPTER XXXV.
PLATONIC REPUBLIC--ABSTRACT.
The Republic is the longest of all the Platonic dialogues, except
the dialogue De Legibus. It consists of ten books, each of them as
long as any one of the dialogues which we have passed in review.
Partly from its length--partly from its lofty pretensions as the
great constructive work of Plato--I shall give little more than an
abstract of it in the present chapter, and shall reserve remark
and comment for the succeeding.
[Side-note: Declared theme of the Republic--Expansion and
multiplication of the topics connected with it.]