After all, we have not even defined what Justice is, so it is unreasonable that we should fabricate tales about it and certainly wrong to teach the theme of injustice conquering justice. (Socrates argues a series of examples of stories and parts of stories that ought or ought not to be taught to the future Guardians.)Īnd, further, Socrates argues that stories which reflect any sort of injustice triumphing over justice, in whatever way, must be expunged from the ideal state. So, too, the tales told to maturing young Guardians must extol obedience to commanders and leaders, since it follows logically that honor and obedience to one's parents leads to obedience to future wise leaders, obedience to those more experienced than ourselves being a form of temperance. However interesting hearing about various sufferings in hell might be, such descriptions might lead to a lack of courage in the face of death, and any sort of exercise in sensuality (like drunkenness) does damage to the function of a Guardian of the state, or any citizen for that matter. We must also expunge any references to the pleasures of drunkenness or any sort of intemperate behavior. Thus we must expunge from the myths all those passages that relate the sufferings of the dead in Hades.

The Guardians certainly must not fear combat they must not fear death in the service of the state and they certainly must not be schooled in stories or aspects of stories that might cause them to fear awful sufferings in a life after this mortal life else they will fear death itself.

Furthermore, we must teach the future Guardians tales that will praise courage and that show fear and cowardice in a bad light. Socrates continues: We have agreed, then, that the tales we teach the young will teach them to honor the gods and their parents and to value friendship with one another.

Homeric hymn to demeter sparknotes