#496: What Plato's Republic Has to Say About Being a Man

The Art of Manliness

Society & Culture, Education, Philosophy

4.7 • 14.5K Ratings

🗓️ 3 April 2019

⏱️ 73 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Plato’s Republic is a seminal treatise in Western political philosophy and thought. It hits on ideas that we’re still grappling with in our own time, including the nature of justice and what the ideal political system looks like. But my guest today argues that The Republic also has a lot to say about manliness, character development, and education in our current climate of safe spaces and trigger warnings. His name is Jacob Howland. He’s a professor of philosophy at the University of Tulsa and the author of the recent book Glaucon’s Fate: History, Myth, and Character in Plato’s Republic. We begin our conversation with an outline of Plato’s Republic and how it combines literature and philosophy. Jacob then makes the case that in The Republic, Socrates was attempting to save the soul of Plato’s politically ambitious brother, Glaucon, and why he thinks Socrates failed. Along the way we discuss what Socrates’ attempt to save Glaucon can teach us about andreia or manliness and what it means to seek the Good in life. We end our conversation discussing the way The Republic teaches us of the need to possess not only physical courage, but the courage to think for oneself and stand up for one's beliefs -- a courage that is tested in a time like our own, where it can feel difficult to ask hard questions and wrestle with thorny issues. Get the show notes at aom.is/republic.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Buret McKay here and welcome to another edition of the Art of Manliness podcast.
0:11.3	Plato's Republic is a symbol treat us in Western political philosophy and thought.
0:15.2	Its ideas were still grappling with in our own time, including the nature of justice
0:19.0	and what the ideal political system looks like.
0:21.0	And my guest today argues that the Republic also has a lot to say about manliness, character
0:25.2	development, and education in our current climate of safe spaces and trigger warnings.
0:29.1	His name is Jacob Howland, he's a professor philosophy at the University of Tulsa and
0:32.5	the author of the recent book, Glaucom's Fate, History, Myth, and Character in Plato's
0:36.6	Republic.
0:37.6	We begin our conversation with an outline of Plato's Republic and how it combines literature
0:40.8	and philosophy.
0:41.8	Jacob then makes the case that in the Republic, Socrates was attempting to save the soul
0:45.4	of Plato's politically ambitious brother Glaucom, and why he thinks Socrates failed.
0:49.7	Along the way, we discuss what Socrates' attempt to save Glaucom can teach us about
0:53.0	Andrea or Manliness and what it means to seek the good in life.
0:56.4	We inter-conversation discussing the way the Republic teaches us the need to possess
0:59.8	not only physical courage, but the courage to think for oneself and to stand up for one
1:03.2	beliefs, courage that is tested in a time like your own where it can feel difficult to
1:06.7	ask hard questions and wrestle with thorny issues.
1:09.7	After the show's over, check out the show notes at a-m-dot-is-slash-republic.
1:14.7	All right, Jacob Howland, welcome to the show.
1:26.3	Oh, it's great to be here, Bret.
	...

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