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Introduction to Essay 11

from On the Republic of Plato: Essays 7–15

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 June 2022

Edited and translated by
Dirk Baltzly ,
John F. Finamore  and
Graeme Miles
Dirk Baltzly
Affiliation:
University of Tasmania
John F. Finamore
Affiliation:
University of Iowa
Graeme Miles
Affiliation:
University of Tasmania
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Summary

In Essay 11 Proclus discusses one of the most memorable sections of the Republic: the analogy between the Sun and the Good. His response to this challenging portion of the text is conceptually rich and subtle. The essay builds on the definitions developed in Essay 10 to explore the sense in which the Good can be understood when it is fundamentally unlike other objects of understanding. Essay 11 is also, by its nature, related to Essay 12, on the Cave and the Divided Line. Essay 12, however, makes a fresh start and is pitched in general at a more introductory level, as an overview of Platonic education as a whole.

The first step in Proclus’ discussion is establishing three different senses of ‘the good’ (to agathon) in Plato’s teaching on the subject. The first of these is ‘the good in us’ (to en hêmin agathon (269.16)), which is neither pleasure nor intellect, and with which he says that Socrates begins in the present passage of the Republic.

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Proclus: Commentary on Plato's 'Republic' , pp. 140 - 148
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2022

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