The problem with being the greatest or the most intelligent is that you could possibly be the most evil and harmful. I see it as a graph where the two extreme ends are the most brilliant, either for good or bad, and the middle is full of the majority of the people who are somewhere in the center. As Socrates builds up his perfect philosopher he also takes the time to reflect on the possible corruption of this individual. Naming the characteristics that the philosopher or ruler would need he sees the potential danger in such a person. Talking about the philosopher he says “but, if sown and planted in an alien soil, becomes the most noxious of all weeds,” while reading this part of the text I could not help but think of Harry Potter. They call Voldemort “The greatest wizard of all time” except for Dumbledore of course, and this is because he is brilliantly evil. Harry and Voldemort are similar and yet completely opposites. In the book we see this is because of an internal choice, not because of there surroundings. Socrates continues to say that philosophers will be corrupted “unless he be preserved by some divine power.” In the terms of Socrates Harry is good because of this, the only power that can keep such a powerful person just.
Ps; I commented on Amy's post
"Voldemort did great things. Terrible, but great." I like the comparison that you drew here, but what does this say about all of Voldemorts greatness? If Harry's greatness came from Socrates's divine power, what does that say about Voldie's psuche? Is the power of the soul and the knowladge that you must care for it supposed to be inherent in all people, or is it something that only a select few are graced with?
ReplyDeleteOoh, I love the Harry Potter reference! Here's another literary refrence, this one from Sherlock Holmes: "There is no man more dangerous than a scientist who uses his brilliance for evil." That may not be the exact quote, but it's something to that degree. Intelligence, like science, is amoral (and powerful), and how it is used does depend on the person who uses it, because it will ultimately affect the people like you and me in the middle.
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