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One of the questions that first year seminarians get very frequently is "why are you studying philosophy? Don't seminarians study theology?" Believe me, I've been asking myself the same question. Last week, I had a midterm about Pre-Socratic, Socratic, and Platonic philosophy. Should a future parishoner ever ask me which Pre-Socratic philosopher believed that everything in the world was made of water, I'll be prepared. It's Thales, by the way.
Yesterday, I was creating an outline for a large philosophy paper due at the end of the semester. I had selected the exploration of Justice as found in Plato's Republic because it seemed like it would be the easiest to research. I wasn't even particularly interested in the topic. In the Republic, Socrates is arguing with a group of men about what justice is. Socrates argues that justice is the virtue of rational self-mastery that orders the soul toward the good of society, and that because it's a virtue, it is innately good. His opponents argue that it is better to practice injustice because all justice will cause is pain and suffering. One opponent, Glaucon, tells a story (360b-361d). There were two men, one who lived a life of perfect justice, and one who lived completely unjustly. Each possessed a magic ring that could make him invisible when worn. (Yes, Tolkien borrowed the idea from Plato.) The unjust man steals, kills, and commits every kind of sin in complete secrecy. In order that his life is as unjust as it could be, he is praised, loved, and has a magnificent, shining reputation. He will die prosperous. The just man lives a simple, virtuous life and isn't particularly wealthy. Because justice is the opposite of injustice, Glaucon argues, the just man will be despised for his virtue, dishonored, calumniated, and have a reputation for injustice, and yet suffer silently and remain virtuous until he dies. At the end of his life, Glaucon asks, who will be happier? While Glaucon intends for this to be an argument for injustice, this story prefigures Christ instead. Jesus is the model of perfect justice. He was born to poor parents, in a lowly stable. He was given a death reserved for the worst criminals, treated like he was completely unjust. But through his suffering, he justified us. In his own way, Plato seems to pick up on this, and spends the rest of the Republic defending the goodness of justice, virtue, and an orderly life. He sees something Godly and supernaturally rewarding in the humble, virtuous life, and in a just society. Good philosophy points back to Christ. The greek word φιλοσοφία literally means "the love of wisdom." For a seminarian, studying philosophy is loving and seeking the source of wisdom Himself.
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July 2023
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