[415d]
“No, not these themselves,” he said, “but I
do, their sons and successors and the rest of mankind who come after.1”
“Well,” said I, “even that would have a good
effect making them more inclined to care for the state and one another. For
I think I apprehend your meaning. XXII. And this shall fall out as
tradition2 guides.”“But let us arm these sons of earth and conduct
them under the leadership of their rulers. And when they have arrived they
must look out for the fairest site in the city for their encampment,3
1 Plato repeats the thought that since the mass of men can be brought to believe anything by repetition, myths framed for edification are a useful instrument of education and government. Cf. Laws 663 E-664 A.
2 φήμη, not any particular oracular utterance, but popular belief from mouth to mouth.
3 The Platonic guardians, like the ruling class at Sparta, will live the life of a camp. Cf. Laws 666 E, Isocrates Archedamus.
Plato. Plato in Twelve Volumes, Vols. 5 & 6 translated by Paul Shorey. Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1969.
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