MORAL REASONING 54

Updated: 2/20/00


Picture I

The Republic, Book VII:
"The Allegory of the Cave,"

This sketch (unattributed) is an aid to the imagination when reading Plato's allegory.



Picture II

Michelangelo's "Moses" ca. 513-515. This is a classic example of the pitfalls of translation. Having just returned from Mount Sinai, conversing with God and receiving the commandments, Moses was said to have "rays of light" emmanating from his head. The Hebrew for "rays" was mis-translated into Latin (Vulgate Bible) as the word for "horns," and Michelangelo used that text for his inspiration. There you have it--error set in stone!






Picture III

"The Death of Socrates" by Jacques-Louis David

Painted in 1787, this painting is often cited as an example of neo-classic art in France. It is no surprise that in the "Age of Reason," Socrates would be a fitting subject. Here he is almost Christ-like, surrounded by his grieving disciples, as he bravely takes the cup that is passed to him. His left fore-finger points to the realm of the Forms. This story is told in the dialogue "The Phaedo," which follows after the Euthyphro. Socrates was convicted of impiety and sentenced to death. Although he was given ample opportunity to escape, Socrates was unwilling to be a fugitive of the law of Athens. He accepted his fate and told his followers that he would be certain to go to a far better place. Remember in the Seventh Letter of Plato, he recounts the death of his mentor, Socrates, was one factor in his turning away from public life.

Picture IV


By Goya, ca. 1796-8. "The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters." A student sleeps at his desk, head on his books, while the soul, unruled by Reason is awakened to monstrous ideas. Think of Plato's image of the shamelessness of dream-life and how, in the absence of restraint by reason, such lawlessness becomes the actual behavior of the soul driven by Eros. Cf. Republic, 571d ff.