Brooks and Plato

David Brooks had an excellent column yesterday that discussed the power of this unknown power of the soul in society. There is little dispute that two of the parts of soul are the parts that desires the most base of pleasures and the part that desires wisdom. In his column Brooks discusses the significance of a potential third part of the soul that drives men to:

wear the sports jerseys of semiliterate behemoths half their age while others customize their cars with so many speakers they sound like the hip-hop version of the San Francisco earthquake as they roll down the street.

Brooks attributes this unique sort of action to the part of the soul that desires "recognition." He attributes this to Plato, who he claims, divided the soul into these three parts (regardless, Plato does not do this, instead Socrates makes this argument in Plato's Republic, too often Socrates in Plato's dialogues are made out to be the opinions of Plato, something I reject having read sections like 540d-541b of the Republic).

Brooks then goes on to urge politicians not to be so consumed by their urge for recognition:

If I had the attention of the world's politicians for one afternoon, I'd lead a discussion on the nature of the thymotic urge. I'd point out that if politicians weren't consumed by a hunger for recognition, none of them would agree to lead the miserable lives they do. I'd point out that in the thymotic urge, selfishness and selflessness are intertwined. Men compete for personal glory. But thymos also induces them to sacrifice for causes larger than themselves.

Brooks is spot-on here in his diagnosis, it is shocking how closely his description of these politicians so closely maps with Socrates' timocratic man, the one who lets his urge for recognition overwhelm the rest of his soul (Republic 549c-550c). Brooks is also correct in pointing out the value of the urge for recognition.

But Brooks' cure is not the solution (at least not under the guise of the Republic). A discussion amongst these won't achieve anything because the fundamental problem is that we are continually electing men whose souls are consumed with the desire to for recognition and honor. While there is an upside to this, it is not until this part of the soul is ruled by the part that desires wisdom that things are as they ought to be (argues Socrates). Concordantly, let’s start electing philosophers and stop electing proud fools.

-Mr. Alec