Glaucon
Philosopher ‧ Plato's brotherWikipedia
238
MENTIONS
18
EPISODES
13
PODCASTS
Search complete. 238 mentions across 18 episodes found for "Glaucon".
Nov 3, 2026
Daniel O'TooleGUEST
Unless I said the philosophers rule as kings, or those now called kings and chiefs, genuinely and adequately philosophize, and political power and philosophy coincide in the same place, while the many natures now making their way to either apart from the other are by necessity excluded, there is no rest from the ills for the cities, my dear Glaucon.
Daniel O'TooleGUEST
nor, I think, for humankind, nor will the regime we have now described in speech ever come forth from nature insofar as possible and see the light of the sun.
Daniel O'TooleGUEST
That is what for so long was causing my hesitation to speak, seeing now how very paradoxical it would be to say, for it is hard to see that in no other city would there be private or public happiness.
17 MINS LATER
Daniel O'TooleGUEST
Well, I mean, I think Socrates throughout intentionally provokes the interlocutors to see if they'll pick up on things and run with it.
Daniel O'TooleGUEST
I mean, so for instance, maybe an obvious example, he gives relatively tendentious and provocative arguments to Thrasymachus.
Daniel O'TooleGUEST
and kind of defends justice in terms of, you know, one's own self-interest in a way that's pretty dissatisfying to Glaucon and Adiamantis, who really want to see justice vindicated as a service to or commitment to the common good, not as just figuring out your own enlightened self-interest.
Daniel O'TooleGUEST
Well, similarly here, too, I think he's provoking them to ask, well, do you really want this city to come into being, and what would that require? And I do think it's in these middle books and especially five where you get the full meaning of what it would mean both to have a city that has the kind of common good that is possible in that can accord with human nature, that is, that doesn't require transformation.
Daniel O'TooleGUEST
magical or technological of human nature, a complete common good, what would that mean? And then what would it mean to have a city that's as rational as possible, which I think throughout the book has been the secret agenda.
speaker_0HOST
It opens on Socrates saying, essentially, I went down to the harbor yesterday.
speaker_0HOST
He went down to Piraeus with Glaucon to pray to the goddess and to see the festival because it was the first time it was being celebrated, and he wanted to see how they'd do it.
speaker_0HOST
And he watches two processions, the Athenians and the Thracians, and he makes a point of saying the Thracians was every bit as fine.
speaker_0HOST
He starts to head home, and a group of young men essentially kidnaps him, playfully, but genuinely.
Ted RichardsGUEST
Nature revokes conventional titles as all fight for their lives in common Once the various parties are landed at a distance from one another on the island, each group has at least one member keen on founding a new city on the island, all of whom propose cities and speech.
Ted RichardsGUEST
Most notably is that described by Prospero's erstwhile ally, Gonzalo, who describes a natural city, not unlike the city of pigs, as Glaucon dubs the first attempt at a city and speech in Plato's Republic.
Ted RichardsGUEST
Others seek to kill the king of Sicily to take his throne.
Ted RichardsGUEST
Still others seek to slay the philosopher king of the island.
speaker_3NARRATOR
He is the father of idealism in philosophy, in politics, in literature, and many of the latest conceptions of modern thinkers and statesmen, such as the unity of knowledge, the reign of law, and the equality of the sexes, have been anticipated in a dream by him.
speaker_3NARRATOR
The argument of the Republic is the search after justice, the nature of which is first hinted at by Cephalus, the just and blameless old man who, then discussed on the basis of proverbial morality by Socrates and Polemarchus, then caricatured by Thrasymachus, and partially explained by Socrates, reduced to an abstraction by Glaucon and Adeimantus, and having become invisible in the individual, reappears at length in the ideal state which is constructed by Socrates.
speaker_3NARRATOR
The first care of the rulers is to be education.
speaker_3NARRATOR
of which an outline is drawn after the old Hellenic model, providing only for an improved religion and morality, and more simplicity in music and gymnastic, a manlier strain of poetry, in greater harmony of the individual and the state.
speaker_3NARRATOR
The division into books, like all similar divisions, is probably later than the age of Plato.
speaker_3NARRATOR
The natural divisions are five in number.
speaker_3NARRATOR
Book 1 and the first half of Book 2, down to the paragraph beginning, I had always admired the genius of Glaucon and Adeimantus, which is introductory.
speaker_3NARRATOR
The first book... containing a refutation of the popular and sophistical notions of justice, and concluding, like some of the earlier dialogues, without arriving at any definite result.
speaker_4NARRATOR
Whereas he who has a taste for every sort of knowledge, and who is curious to learn and is never satisfied, may be justly termed a philosopher.
speaker_4NARRATOR
Am I not right?" Glaucon said, If curiosity makes a philosopher, you will find many a strange being will have a title to the name.
speaker_4NARRATOR
All the lovers of sights have a delight in learning, and must therefore be included.
speaker_4NARRATOR
MUSICAL AMATEURS, TOO, ARE A FOLK STRANGELY OUT OF PLACE AMONG PHILOSOPHERS, FOR THEY ARE THE LAST PERSONS IN THE WORLD WHO WOULD COME TO ANYTHING LIKE A PHILOSOPHICAL DISCUSSION, IF THEY COULD HELP, WHILE THEY RUN ABOUT AT THE DIONASIAC FESTIVALS AS IF THEY HAD LET OUT THEIR EARS TO HEAR EVERY CHORUS.
1 HR 17 MINS LATER
speaker_10NARRATOR
"'Aye,' I said, "'I knew all along that a fastidious gentleman like you would not be contented with the thoughts of other people about these matters.' "'True, Socrates, but I must say that one who like you has passed a lifetime in the study of philosophy should not be always repeating the opinions of others and never telling his own.' "'Well, but has any one a right to say positively what he does not know?' "'Not,' he said, with the assurance of positive certainty.
speaker_10NARRATOR
He has no right to do that, but he may say what he thinks as a matter of opinion.' "'And do you not know,' I said, "'that all mere opinions are bad, and the best of them blind? You would not deny that those who have any true notion without intelligence are only like blind men who feel their way along the road?' Very true.
speaker_10NARRATOR
And do you wish to behold what is blind and crooked and base, when others will tell you of brightness and beauty? Still, I must implore you, Socrates, said Glaucon, not to turn away just as you are reaching the goal.
speaker_10NARRATOR
If you will only give such an explanation of the good as you have already given of justice and temperance and the other virtues, we shall be satisfied.
Kelly ChaseHOST
I'm going to read the description of what happens to the prisoner when he's dragged out of the cave directly from the text with just a few minor edits.
Kelly ChaseHOST
The cave is presented as a conversation between Socrates and Plato's older brother Glaucon.
Kelly ChaseHOST
But at the points when Socrates is really cooking, it stops being a dialogue and Glaucon becomes more of a Lil Jon-style hype man who basically just says yeah and okay.
Eric VespiADVERTISER
I've
Louis MarkosGUEST
Okay, well, you know, that's exactly what happens.
Louis MarkosGUEST
That's the question on a greater scale, but that's the question answered in Republic 2, right? And Glaucon asks, because he wants to be the devil's advocate, because he wants Socrates to show he's wrong.
Louis MarkosGUEST
He's like, well, let's take two people.
Louis MarkosGUEST
Here is a man who is completely unjust, who has lied and cheated and done everything, but somehow, he has convinced everybody that he's a purely just man, right? Then there's another person who is a purely just man, and yet what will happen to him, right? He will be arrested and beaten and scourged and killed.
1 HR LATER
Louis MarkosGUEST
But get yourself caught up in the beauty of the dialogue.
Louis MarkosGUEST
Enter in to the conversation.
Louis MarkosGUEST
Understand that when Glaucon lays down the just and unjust man, what he's saying is, I don't believe this.
Louis MarkosGUEST
I don't believe that the unjust man is better off.
Geoffrey EdwardsNARRATOR
But how can he interpret him, well, unless he knows what he means? All this is greatly to be envied.
Geoffrey EdwardsNARRATOR
Ion, very true, Socrates, interpretation has certainly been the most laborious part of my art, and I believe myself able to speak about Homer better than any man, and that neither Metrodorus of Lamsacus, nor Stesimbrotus of Thassos, nor Glaucon, nor anyone else who ever was, had as good ideas about Homer as I have, or as many." Socrates, I am glad to hear you say so, Ion.
Geoffrey EdwardsNARRATOR
I see that you will not refuse to acquaint me with them.
Geoffrey EdwardsNARRATOR
Ion, certainly, Socrates, and you really ought to hear how exquisitely I render Homer.
Alex PriouGUEST
I mean, I was writing a book on Plato's Republic and maybe I'll finish it one day.
Alex PriouGUEST
And the idea was to speak to, you know, young people who are disaffected like Glaucon and show them Glaucon as a cautionary tale and give them some guidance on how to think about their lives and politics.
Alex PriouGUEST
And then I just woke up one day.
Alex PriouGUEST
I was like, these kids don't.
speaker_0NARRATOR
He doesn't tell it himself.
speaker_0NARRATOR
He gives it to his teacher, Socrates, who tells it to Plato's older brother, a young man named Glaucon.
speaker_0NARRATOR
Socrates says, imagine an underground cave with a long opening that leads up to the daylight.
speaker_0NARRATOR
In this cave, people have lived since childhood.
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