Plato on the Enslavement of Reason

Abstract

In Republic 8-9, Socrates describes four main kinds of vicious people, all of whose souls are ruled by an element other than reason, and in some of whom reason is said to be enslaved. What role does reason play in such souls? In this paper, I argue, based on Republic 8-9 and related passages, and in contrast to some common alternative views, that for Plato the enslavement of reason consists in this: instead of determining for itself what is good, reason is forced to desire and pursue as good a goal determined by the soul's ruler.