I couldn’t stop thinking about the allegory of the metals in Plato’s Republic as I read the op-ed piece in The Washington Post written by Los Angeles Police Officer, Sunil Dutta. He was writing to express a police officer’s point of view in the wake of the shooting of Michael Brown, in Ferguson, Missouri. I kept thinking Plato nailed it; Mr. Dutta, though plenty spirited, is incapable of leadership. He understands his role, but not the reasons for the role he plays.
The Republic is one of western civilization’s great meditations of a well-ordered state and a well-ordered soul. In a world governed by philosopher-kings, all other members of the community knowing their place; in the well-ordered soul, reason governs. Yet we are more than reason, we have appetites, base desires, groveling instincts that drive us this way and that. And we need protection not just from ourselves, but from others—it takes a spirited, courageous soul to play the role of guardian.
