Plato’s Republic, Part II:
Complete Guardians
Plato from The School of Athens (Links
to an external site.)Links to an external
site. by Raphael (Links to an external
site.)Links to an external site., 1509
Our reading for this week immediately engages the question of who deserves to rule in the city and who
will be ruled (412b). The most important criterion for a ruler is genuine love for the city (412d). Love for
the city is strongest when it is tied to self-love. This will provide the city with great unity.
As they grow, the guardians are to be watched continuously and tested to see if they are steadfast in
their love for the city. Those who prove themselves willing to do what is best for the city at all times are
now called complete guardians. Those who are still in formation are renamed auxiliary
guardians or auxiliaries. The auxiliaries support and reinforce the complete guardians (414b). Of course,
it is the complete guardians who will rule the city.
Plato’s Republic, Part II: The Noble Lie
The concern for a deep loyalty to the city leads Socrates to expound his famous idea of the noble lie
(414b). (You can also translate noble as “beautiful.”)
The noble lie has two parts. The first part claims that the education received by the guardians was a
dream and that the guardians were formed underground and born from the earth itself (414d). This
would mean that the earth was their mother and everyone else who came from the ground with them
would be brothers and sisters. This part of the lie would contribute to a sense of unity in the city, and it
would incline the guardians to think of the city as theirs to protect.
The second part is often called the myth of metals. This myth says that although they are all brothers
and sisters, the god mixed different metals into the soul of each of them—some receiving gold, others
silver, others, iron or bronze or some other metal. The guardians will have gold mixed into their soul,
and the auxiliaries will have silver. Various craftsmen in the city will have other metals. The children are
always watched and tested in an attempt to discern what metal they have in their soul. Sometimes a
silver child is born to gold parents. In this case the child is taken and raised among the golden souls. The
opposite may also happen. This is unsettling, of course, because it suggests a high degree of scrutiny and
interference.
Among other things, the myth softens possible jealousy among members of the city by attributing
natural differences to “the god.” More importantly, it discourages the so-called golden souls from
having contempt for those who are not golden. This is necessary if the city is to be unified. Glaucon
points out that the founding generation would never believe these myths because they would know
them to be lies—after all, they are the liars (415d). But perhaps, Glaucon observes, the next generation
would be more likely to accept them, the auxiliaries if not the “true” guardians. Socrates says all the
better, for soon the lies would be passed down through an oral tradition.
Plato’s Republic, Part II: The Auxiliaries
The remainder of Book 3 describes the communal life of the auxiliaries. Every step has been taken to
form the guardians to be courageous, moderate, and loyal to the city. They are now ready to set up a
military camp—within the city—so that they might protect the city against from outside or inside the
city. The auxiliaries are given additional institutions to preserve their unity and loyalty, for example, they
will not have privacy, or money, or an excess of food (416e).
We should notice, though that the complete guardians have been separated out to rule. They have a
greater ability to know what is best for the city, or as Socrates says, how to preserve the regime. Also,
knowing what is best first-hand, they can love the city without being told lies, however noble.
Glaucon is asked by Socrates whether the auxiliaries can now be trusted to protect their city rather than
attack them. Glaucon says yes, especially since the guardians have been so beautifully educated (416a-
c).
Plato’s Republic, Part II: The Cherry Tree
You have probably heard of the the myth of George Washington and the Cherry Tree. Please read the
complete myth below in preparation for the discussion forum.
THE CHERRY TREE
09_george-washington.jpgGeorge Washington’s father went to great lengths to teach his son to be
