Donald Robertson

It was like an ongoing process of personal development that, in a sense, never really ended. So the core of his philosophy, I think, is the actual method of his philosophy. doctrines in a sense often he doesn't state them but he seems to be kind of arriving at them so for example a famous one is in Plato's Republic in the first book Socrates asks for a definition of justice

It was like an ongoing process of personal development that, in a sense, never really ended. So the core of his philosophy, I think, is the actual method of his philosophy. doctrines in a sense often he doesn't state them but he seems to be kind of arriving at them so for example a famous one is in Plato's Republic in the first book Socrates asks for a definition of justice

It was like an ongoing process of personal development that, in a sense, never really ended. So the core of his philosophy, I think, is the actual method of his philosophy. doctrines in a sense often he doesn't state them but he seems to be kind of arriving at them so for example a famous one is in Plato's Republic in the first book Socrates asks for a definition of justice

And his friends say, well, justice is helping your friends and harming your enemies, right? This was a cliche in Athenian culture. It comes from the military world where you'd be helping your military allies and punishing or attacking your enemies in warfare. But it was also applied to civilian life as well. And Socrates questions us from a number of different angles.

And his friends say, well, justice is helping your friends and harming your enemies, right? This was a cliche in Athenian culture. It comes from the military world where you'd be helping your military allies and punishing or attacking your enemies in warfare. But it was also applied to civilian life as well. And Socrates questions us from a number of different angles.

And his friends say, well, justice is helping your friends and harming your enemies, right? This was a cliche in Athenian culture. It comes from the military world where you'd be helping your military allies and punishing or attacking your enemies in warfare. But it was also applied to civilian life as well. And Socrates questions us from a number of different angles.

But as far as I recall, in the Republic, he doesn't specifically state what the alternative conclusion would be. He just kind of implies it. Whereas later philosophers, Plutarch, for example, explicitly says Socrates believed that justice consists in helping your friends, but also helping your enemies by turning them into your friends.

But as far as I recall, in the Republic, he doesn't specifically state what the alternative conclusion would be. He just kind of implies it. Whereas later philosophers, Plutarch, for example, explicitly says Socrates believed that justice consists in helping your friends, but also helping your enemies by turning them into your friends.

But as far as I recall, in the Republic, he doesn't specifically state what the alternative conclusion would be. He just kind of implies it. Whereas later philosophers, Plutarch, for example, explicitly says Socrates believed that justice consists in helping your friends, but also helping your enemies by turning them into your friends.

So the goal is basically to convert enemies into friends, not just to kind of punish or harm your enemies. Socrates was concerned that if we try to harm our friends from a particular point of view, first of all, we're missing out. If we try to harm our enemies, first of all, we're missing out on the opportunity to convert them into allies or friends.

So the goal is basically to convert enemies into friends, not just to kind of punish or harm your enemies. Socrates was concerned that if we try to harm our friends from a particular point of view, first of all, we're missing out. If we try to harm our enemies, first of all, we're missing out on the opportunity to convert them into allies or friends.

So the goal is basically to convert enemies into friends, not just to kind of punish or harm your enemies. Socrates was concerned that if we try to harm our friends from a particular point of view, first of all, we're missing out. If we try to harm our enemies, first of all, we're missing out on the opportunity to convert them into allies or friends.

And secondly, we might kind of end up making them worse enemies by punishing them or harming them in a particular way. And actually, that's kind of what happened to Athens, right? There were certain more kind of aggressive, hawkish political leaders that took control of the Athenian assembly and they committed genocide.

And secondly, we might kind of end up making them worse enemies by punishing them or harming them in a particular way. And actually, that's kind of what happened to Athens, right? There were certain more kind of aggressive, hawkish political leaders that took control of the Athenian assembly and they committed genocide.

And secondly, we might kind of end up making them worse enemies by punishing them or harming them in a particular way. And actually, that's kind of what happened to Athens, right? There were certain more kind of aggressive, hawkish political leaders that took control of the Athenian assembly and they committed genocide.

And this really led to Athens' downfall because Athens' potential allies no longer trusted them and turned against them. So their regime collapsed. They had a catastrophic military defeat in Sicily that can be seen as the consequence of this kind of more short-sighted, more aggressive attitude towards other states.

And this really led to Athens' downfall because Athens' potential allies no longer trusted them and turned against them. So their regime collapsed. They had a catastrophic military defeat in Sicily that can be seen as the consequence of this kind of more short-sighted, more aggressive attitude towards other states.

And this really led to Athens' downfall because Athens' potential allies no longer trusted them and turned against them. So their regime collapsed. They had a catastrophic military defeat in Sicily that can be seen as the consequence of this kind of more short-sighted, more aggressive attitude towards other states.

So Socrates does have these doctrines, and there are many, many other ones that people derive from what he's saying, but we should be a little bit careful about making them into roles that are too rigid. One of his nicest ones that's a little bit different, for instance, is Socrates, according to Xenophon, Socrates repeatedly said that we should eat to live rather than live to eat.

So Socrates does have these doctrines, and there are many, many other ones that people derive from what he's saying, but we should be a little bit careful about making them into roles that are too rigid. One of his nicest ones that's a little bit different, for instance, is Socrates, according to Xenophon, Socrates repeatedly said that we should eat to live rather than live to eat.