Born to Philosophize: The Philosopher's Nature in Plato’s Republic
Interpreters of the Republic argue that, for Plato, the natural traits that make someone suited to philosophy are motivations and dispositions fully grounded in the rational part of the soul. In this talk, I argue that being naturally disposed to philosophical inquiry requires two distinct sets of natural dispositions. On my reading, the philosophical nature is constituted both by intellectual motivations and traits and by a love of the hard intellectual work inquiry involves. The latter, I argue, is at least partly rooted in the spirited part of the soul. This interpretation helps us make progress on a perennial question: how can it be that, as Plato claims, the nature of philosophers and rulers is the same?
This is an in-person event. All non-Columbia and non-Barnard affiliates must register below by October 10.