Moral Motivation in Plato’s Republic?

Abstract

Against the view that knowledge of the Good motivates philosophers in Plato’s Republic to rule, this paper argues that philosophers are ‘dependent rational animals’ (MacIntyre), whose education fosters a widespread sense of mutual interdependence in the community. The recognition of this dependency is a bond of philia, the cultivation of which ensures that citizens care for one another and assist each other to their mutual advantage. Ruling is how philosophers express the reciprocity characteristic of friendship, make a return for benefits received, and show care for others in their service. By tracking the language of ‘nurture’, ‘sharing’, and ‘community’ in Socrates’ replies to Glaucon’s concern and showing how it is embedded within this sense of mutual interdependence and philia, I argue that philia, a certain kind of affective bond, or love, motivates philosophers’ willingness to rule and preserves the integrity of the eudaemonist framework of the Republic.