I like Plato. More people should read him. I would say his “Republic” is on my once-a-year list anymore. It rewards repeat readings; the “Republic” is a rich, inexhaustible text.
I mentioned Plato’s moral philosophy briefly in my “good person” blog post. One post seems to seed the next.
Plato suggests that we possess innate knowledge. This means that you are born with certain concepts. No, you’re not born knowing what beauty is. One could say you are “prewired” to see beauty in the world. When you were a small child you saw beauty in the world: the flowers, the sunset, and so on.
Likewise, you see geometry in the world, You see rectangles when you look at a brick wall. Your dog doesn’t. Your dog is smart, sure, it’s a descendant of the wolf, and wolves are very smart. But they do not have geometric concepts.
You also have a sense of justice. Kids on a playground will reprimand another kid for cheating. No one taught them this. They just know it; just like no one taught you the flowers are beautiful.
So, for Plato, moral philosophy is highly intellectual. When one deepens and clarifies one’s understanding of justice, one becomes more just. Doing the unjust thing is a byproduct of a warped or deficient understanding of justice. A succinct summary of Plato’s thought here is: to know the good is to do the good.
I feel this is a very useful piece of philosophy. Racism comes to mind. Many people deny being racist. I hear it all the time. But, they are. How come they are unable or unwilling to see it? I think this is because they will not allow philosophy anywhere near their opinions, which they have turned into a kind of religion. They will brook no critical analysis of their position. Because if they did? The whole edifice of their worldview would come tumbling down. Racism is an illegitimate ideology. It bears no scrutiny. It’s flimsy and paper-thin.
Secondly, there is the problem I have been thinking about for years now: few seem to know what racism is. The common assumption is that the tiki-torch clowns and the pro-Trump white supremacist groups are racist. Yes, yes they are. But that is at the visible, extreme end of the spectrum. I’m talking about the carbon monoxide variety. The kind you are likely participating in, unwittingly. You didn’t say anything offensive, you treat everyone equally, you didn’t hurt anybody … and yet, it’s there.
Let me give you a somewhat curious example. You’ve heard of the band the Rolling Stones? Many people, for numerous decades, have bellyached that they are old and just cashing in. They, it is alleged, are up to no good. Now, does anyone say this about Buddy Guy (age 86), John Lee Hooker (who died in his 80s, and who played until the bitter end), or B. B. King (died age 89, same thing)? These blues artists—Guy, Hooker, King—are all Black. No one ever accused them of “cashing in” or artifice—at least I have never heard it in fifty years. If one spends time in Chicago’s insufferably bohemian Wicker Park—which I don’t recommend—one will hear it again and again: “Eric Clapton stole the Mississippi Delta blues!” “I used to love Bowie, but now I listen to real music [reggae]!”
Does anyone say this about the legendary Black artists? Nope. The reason is simple and racist: Black artists cannot be guilty of greed or artifice. They are pure in spirit and childlike. This, dear reader, is some racist bullshit. ”But, I was criticizing a bunch of British, white millionaires!” Doesn’t matter; it’s still a racist position.
Plato anyone?
