{"id":13301,"date":"2025-09-16T15:49:43","date_gmt":"2025-09-16T22:49:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/maverickphilosopher.blog\/?p=13301"},"modified":"2025-09-17T12:54:08","modified_gmt":"2025-09-17T19:54:08","slug":"should-we-just-tend-our-private-gardens-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/maverickphilosopher.blog\/index.php\/2025\/09\/16\/should-we-just-tend-our-private-gardens-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Should We Just Tend Our Private Gardens?"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Substack<\/em> shorty<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The piece ends:<\/p>\n

I will have to find the passage in Plato’s\u00a0Laws<\/em>\u00a0where he says that the good who refuse to get involved in politics will end up ruled by the evil.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I may have been thinking of a passage in The Republic<\/em>. Dave Lull, Tony Flood and Dirck Storm pointed me to 347c.\u00a0 Thank you, gentlemen. Mr. Storm writes:<\/p>\n

\n
Re: the end of your “Should We Just Tend Our Private Gardens?”, I believe that you may be recalling an observation made in The Republic<\/i>, Bk 1, 347b-d:<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
“…\u03b4\u03b9\u1f70 \u03c4\u03b1\u1fe6\u03c4\u03b1 \u03c4\u03bf\u03af\u03bd\u03c5\u03bd, \u1f26\u03bd \u03b4\u1fbd \u1f10\u03b3\u03ce, \u03bf\u1f54\u03c4\u03b5 \u03c7\u03c1\u03b7\u03bc\u03ac\u03c4\u03c9\u03bd \u1f15\u03bd\u03b5\u03ba\u03b1 \u1f10\u03b8\u03ad\u03bb\u03bf\u03c5\u03c3\u03b9\u03bd \u1f04\u03c1\u03c7\u03b5\u03b9\u03bd \u03bf\u1f31 \u1f00\u03b3\u03b1\u03b8\u03bf\u1f76 \u03bf\u1f54\u03c4\u03b5 \u03c4\u03b9\u03bc\u1fc6\u03c2: \u03bf\u1f54\u03c4\u03b5 \u03b3\u1f70\u03c1 \u03c6\u03b1\u03bd\u03b5\u03c1\u1ff6\u03c2 \u03c0\u03c1\u03b1\u03c4\u03c4\u03cc\u03bc\u03b5\u03bd\u03bf\u03b9 \u03c4\u1fc6\u03c2 \u1f00\u03c1\u03c7\u1fc6\u03c2 \u1f15\u03bd\u03b5\u03ba\u03b1 \u03bc\u03b9\u03c3\u03b8\u1f78\u03bd \u03bc\u03b9\u03c3\u03b8\u03c9\u03c4\u03bf\u1f76 \u03b2\u03bf\u03cd\u03bb\u03bf\u03bd\u03c4\u03b1\u03b9 \u03ba\u03b5\u03ba\u03bb\u1fc6\u03c3\u03b8\u03b1\u03b9, \u03bf\u1f54\u03c4\u03b5 \u03bb\u03ac\u03b8\u03c1\u1fb3 \u03b1\u1f50\u03c4\u03bf\u1f76 \u1f10\u03ba \u03c4\u1fc6\u03c2 \u1f00\u03c1\u03c7\u1fc6\u03c2 \u03bb\u03b1\u03bc\u03b2\u03ac\u03bd\u03bf\u03bd\u03c4\u03b5\u03c2 \u03ba\u03bb\u03ad\u03c0\u03c4\u03b1\u03b9. \u03bf\u1f50\u03b4\u1fbd \u03b1\u1f56 \u03c4\u03b9\u03bc\u1fc6\u03c2 \u1f15\u03bd\u03b5\u03ba\u03b1: \u03bf\u1f50 \u03b3\u03ac\u03c1 \u03b5\u1f30\u03c3\u03b9 \u03c6\u03b9\u03bb\u03cc\u03c4\u03b9\u03bc\u03bf\u03b9. \u03b4\u03b5\u1fd6 \u03b4\u1f74 \u03b1\u1f50\u03c4\u03bf\u1fd6\u03c2 \u1f00\u03bd\u03ac\u03b3\u03ba\u03b7\u03bd \u03c0\u03c1\u03bf\u03c3\u03b5\u1fd6\u03bd\u03b1\u03b9 \u03ba\u03b1\u1f76 \u03b6\u03b7\u03bc\u03af\u03b1\u03bd, \u03b5\u1f30 \u03bc\u03ad\u03bb\u03bb\u03bf\u03c5\u03c3\u03b9\u03bd \u1f10\u03b8\u03ad\u03bb\u03b5\u03b9\u03bd \u1f04\u03c1\u03c7\u03b5\u03b9\u03bd\u2014\u1f45\u03b8\u03b5\u03bd \u03ba\u03b9\u03bd\u03b4\u03c5\u03bd\u03b5\u03cd\u03b5\u03b9 \u03c4\u1f78 \u1f11\u03ba\u03cc\u03bd\u03c4\u03b1 \u1f10\u03c0\u1f76 \u03c4\u1f78 \u1f04\u03c1\u03c7\u03b5\u03b9\u03bd \u1f30\u03ad\u03bd\u03b1\u03b9 \u1f00\u03bb\u03bb\u1f70 \u03bc\u1f74 \u1f00\u03bd\u03ac\u03b3\u03ba\u03b7\u03bd \u03c0\u03b5\u03c1\u03b9\u03bc\u03ad\u03bd\u03b5\u03b9\u03bd \u03b1\u1f30\u03c3\u03c7\u03c1\u1f78\u03bd \u03bd\u03b5\u03bd\u03bf\u03bc\u03af\u03c3\u03b8\u03b1\u03b9\u2014\u03c4\u1fc6\u03c2 \u03b4\u1f72 \u03b6\u03b7\u03bc\u03af\u03b1\u03c2 \u03bc\u03b5\u03b3\u03af\u03c3\u03c4\u03b7 \u03c4\u1f78 \u1f51\u03c0\u1f78 \u03c0\u03bf\u03bd\u03b7\u03c1\u03bf\u03c4\u03ad\u03c1\u03bf\u03c5 \u1f04\u03c1\u03c7\u03b5\u03c3\u03b8\u03b1\u03b9, \u1f10\u1f70\u03bd \u03bc\u1f74 \u03b1\u1f50\u03c4\u1f78\u03c2 \u1f10\u03b8\u03ad\u03bb\u1fc3 \u1f04\u03c1\u03c7\u03b5\u03b9\u03bd: \u1f23\u03bd \u03b4\u03b5\u03af\u03c3\u03b1\u03bd\u03c4\u03ad\u03c2 \u03bc\u03bf\u03b9 \u03c6\u03b1\u03af\u03bd\u03bf\u03bd\u03c4\u03b1\u03b9 \u1f04\u03c1\u03c7\u03b5\u03b9\u03bd, \u1f45\u03c4\u03b1\u03bd \u1f04\u03c1\u03c7\u03c9\u03c3\u03b9\u03bd, \u03bf\u1f31 \u1f10\u03c0\u03b9\u03b5\u03b9\u03ba\u03b5\u1fd6\u03c2, \u03ba\u03b1\u1f76 \u03c4\u03cc\u03c4\u03b5 \u1f14\u03c1\u03c7\u03bf\u03bd\u03c4\u03b1\u03b9 \u1f10\u03c0\u1f76 \u03c4\u1f78 \u1f04\u03c1\u03c7\u03b5\u03b9\u03bd \u03bf\u1f50\u03c7 \u1f61\u03c2 \u1f10\u03c0\u1fbd \u1f00\u03b3\u03b1\u03b8\u03cc\u03bd \u03c4\u03b9 \u1f30\u03cc\u03bd\u03c4\u03b5\u03c2 \u03bf\u1f50\u03b4\u1fbd \u1f61\u03c2 \u03b5\u1f50\u03c0\u03b1\u03b8\u03ae\u03c3\u03bf\u03bd\u03c4\u03b5\u03c2 \u1f10\u03bd \u03b1\u1f50\u03c4\u1ff7, \u1f00\u03bb\u03bb\u1fbd \u1f61\u03c2 \u1f10\u03c0\u1fbd \u1f00\u03bd\u03b1\u03b3\u03ba\u03b1\u1fd6\u03bf\u03bd \u03ba\u03b1\u1f76 \u03bf\u1f50\u03ba \u1f14\u03c7\u03bf\u03bd\u03c4\u03b5\u03c2 \u1f11\u03b1\u03c5\u03c4\u1ff6\u03bd \u03b2\u03b5\u03bb\u03c4\u03af\u03bf\u03c3\u03b9\u03bd \u1f10\u03c0\u03b9\u03c4\u03c1\u03ad\u03c8\u03b1\u03b9 \u03bf\u1f50\u03b4\u1f72 \u1f41\u03bc\u03bf\u03af\u03bf\u03b9\u03c2…”<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
“…For this reason, therefore,” I said, “the good aren’t willing to rule for the sake of money or honor. For they don’t wish openly to exact wages for ruling and get called hirelings, nor on their own secretly to take a profit from their ruling and get called thieves. Nor, again, will they rule for the sake of honor. For they are not lovers of honor. Hence, necessity and a penalty must be there in addition for them, if they are going to be willing to rule–it is likely that this is the source of its being held to be shameful to seek to rule and not to await necessity–and the greatest of penalties is being ruled by a worse man if one is not willing to rule oneself. It is because they fear this, in my view, that decent men rule, when they do rule; and at that time they proceed to enter on rule, not as though they were going to something good, or as though they were going to be well off in it; but they enter on it as a necessity and because they have no one better than or like themselves to whom to turn it over…” (Allan Bloom, translator, 1968)<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A Substack shorty. The piece ends: I will have to find the passage in Plato’s\u00a0Laws\u00a0where he says that the good who refuse to get involved in politics will end up ruled by the evil. I may have been thinking of a passage in The Republic. Dave Lull, Tony Flood and Dirck Storm pointed me to … Continue reading “Should We Just Tend Our Private Gardens?”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[306],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13301","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-activism-and-quietism"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/maverickphilosopher.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13301","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/maverickphilosopher.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/maverickphilosopher.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/maverickphilosopher.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/maverickphilosopher.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13301"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/maverickphilosopher.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13301\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13310,"href":"https:\/\/maverickphilosopher.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13301\/revisions\/13310"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/maverickphilosopher.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13301"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/maverickphilosopher.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13301"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/maverickphilosopher.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13301"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}