Socrates And The Patients: Republic IX, 583c-585a

Author: Warren, James

Source: Phronesis: A Journal for Ancient Philosophy, Volume 56, Number 2, 2011 , pp. 113-137(25)

Publisher: BRILL

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Abstract:

Republic IX 583c-585a presents something surprisingly unusual in ancient accounts of pleasure and pain: an argument in favour of the view that there are three relevant hedonic states: pleasure, pain, and an intermediate. The argument turns on the proposal that a person's evaluation of their current state may be misled by a comparison with a prior or subsequent state. The argument also refers to `pure' and anticipated pleasures. The brief remarks in the Republic may appear cursory or clumsy in comparison with the Philebus, but this appearance is misleading. Rather, they are part of a neat dialectical argument against a potentially troubling set of opponents. Socrates' use of a topological analogy at 584d3-585a7 rounds off this section by clarifying and illustrating his position, preparing the ground for the final explanation of the pleasantness of the philosophical life at 585a-587c.

Keywords: pleasure; pain; Republic

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/156852811X558447

Affiliations: 1: Corpus Christi College Cambridge CB2 1RH UK, Email: jiw1001@cam.ac.uk

Publication date: 2011-01-01