2.10: The Good Soldier

See 374a-376e. For the remainder of Books II and III, they are going to be exploring the proper education of the “guardians,” the city’s military. The difficulty that motivates this extended discussion is that these people need to be courageous without becoming savage, defenders of the city without becoming menaces to the city. One does not have to read especially deeply or widely in history to appreciate how corrupting military power can be, and how reasonable their concern is.

• What sort of person is well-suited to be a soldier? Was it a different sort of a person in Socrates’ day, when wars were still fought primarily with spear and shield, than it is at present, with our Zeus-like projectile weapons and supersonic flying machines?

• Are the qualities that make a good soldier any different from those that make a good police officer? Are policing and soldiering two different aspects of the same job or two entirely different jobs?

• Are the qualities that make a good political leader any different from those that make a good soldier? Are ruling and soldiering two different aspects of the same job or two entirely different jobs?

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