Key Arguments

• If injustice is ‘profitable,’ then one should ‘feast’ appetite and ‘strengthen’ spirit while ‘starving’ reason, letting the parts ‘fight and bite and devour one another,’ which yields disharmony and servitude of reason.
• If justice is right, one should ‘give the man within him… the most complete mastery,’ ‘watch over the many-headed monster like a good husbandman,’ and ‘mak[e] the lion-heart his ally,’ uniting all parts in concord.
• Thus, by the standards of pleasure, honor, and advantage, justice wins because harmony under rational rule secures true benefit, while injustice enthrones internal conflict.

Source Quotes

I have done so, he said. And now, to him who maintains that it is profitable for the human creature to be unjust, and unprofitable to be just, let us reply that, if he be right, it is profitable for this creature to feast the multitudinous monster and strengthen the lion and the lion-like qualities, but to starve and weaken the man, who is consequently liable to be dragged about at the mercy of either of the other two; and he is not to attempt to familiarize or harmonize them with one another—he ought rather to suffer them to fight and bite and devour one another. Certainly, he said; that is what the approver of injustice says.

Certainly, he said; that is what the approver of injustice says. To him the supporter of justice makes answer that he should ever so speak and act as to give the man within him in some way or other the most complete mastery over the entire human creature. He should watch over the many-headed monster like a good husbandman, fostering and cultivating the gentle qualities, and preventing the wild ones from growing; he should be making the lion-heart his ally, and in common care of them all should be uniting the several parts with one another and with himself.

To him the supporter of justice makes answer that he should ever so speak and act as to give the man within him in some way or other the most complete mastery over the entire human creature. He should watch over the many-headed monster like a good husbandman, fostering and cultivating the gentle qualities, and preventing the wild ones from growing; he should be making the lion-heart his ally, and in common care of them all should be uniting the several parts with one another and with himself. Yes, he said, that is quite what the maintainer of justice say.

Yes, he said, that is quite what the maintainer of justice say. And so from every point of view, whether of pleasure, honour, or advantage, the approver of justice is right and speaks the truth, and the disapprover is wrong and false and ignorant? Yes, from every point of view.

Key Concepts

• feast the multitudinous monster and strengthen the lion and the lion-like qualities, but to starve and weaken the man
• suffer them to fight and bite and devour one another
• give the man within him in some way or other the most complete mastery over the entire human creature
• watch over the many-headed monster like a good husbandman, fostering and cultivating the gentle qualities, and preventing the wild ones from growing
• making the lion-heart his ally
• from every point of view, whether of pleasure, honour, or advantage

Context

Continues the soul-beast-lion-man image to contrast injustice (starving reason, inflaming appetite/spirit) with justice (reason ruling, harmonizing parts) in Book IX.

Perspectives

Plato

Endorses rational governance of the soul as the very form of justice; psychic harmony under reason captures his metaphysical and ethical hierarchy.

Socrates

Uses the composite-soul image pedagogically: justice is giving the rational part rule and harmonizing spirit and appetite; injustice is civil war within.