Key Arguments

• Reason ‘has the care of the whole soul’ and ought to rule, with spirit subordinated as helper.
• The united influence of music and gymnastic strengthens reason and civilizes spirit through harmony and rhythm.
• Reason and spirit together must keep watch over the appetitive part—the largest and most insatiable—lest it grow strong on bodily pleasures and attempt to enslave the others, overturning life.
• As in the city, the counsellor (reason) and fighter (spirit) together best defend the whole against external assaults.

Source Quotes

Yes, he said, we must remember that too. And ought not the rational principle, which is wise, and has the care of the whole soul, to rule, and the passionate or spirited principle to be the subject and ally? Certainly.

Certainly. And, as we were saying, the united influence of music and gymnastic will bring them into accord, nerving and sustaining the reason with noble words and lessons, and moderating and soothing and civilizing the wildness of passion by harmony and rhythm? Quite true, he said.

Quite true, he said. And these two, thus nurtured and educated, and having learned truly to know their own functions, will rule over the concupiscent, which in each of us is the largest part of the soul and by nature most insatiable of gain; over this they will keep guard, lest, waxing great and strong with the fulness of bodily pleasures, as they are termed, the concupiscent soul, no longer confined to her own sphere, should attempt to enslave and rule those who are not her natural-born subjects, and overturn the whole life of man? Very true, he said.

Very true, he said. Both together will they not be the best defenders of the whole soul and the whole body against attacks from without; the one counselling, and the other fighting under his leader, and courageously executing his commands and counsels? True.

Key Concepts

• the rational principle, which is wise, and has the care of the whole soul, to rule, and the passionate or spirited principle to be the subject and ally?
• the united influence of music and gymnastic will bring them into accord, nerving and sustaining the reason with noble words and lessons, and moderating and soothing and civilizing the wildness of passion by harmony and rhythm?
• the concupiscent, which in each of us is the largest part of the soul and by nature most insatiable of gain;
• should attempt to enslave and rule those who are not her natural-born subjects, and overturn the whole life of man?
• the one counselling, and the other fighting under his leader, and courageously executing his commands and counsels?

Context

Applies the political analogy to prescribe psychic governance and specifies the pedagogical means that harmonize reason and spirit over appetite.

Perspectives

Plato

Endorses rational rule supported by thumos, maintained by paideia; without such education, appetitive pleonexia threatens psychic and civic order.

Socrates

Practical emphasis: train spirit to heed reason so it can enforce reason’s counsels against the appetites’ insatiable drives.