The Loved Tyrant vs. the Hated Philosopher
Given the choice, would you rather be a rotten person, but have everyone love you, or would you rather be a good person, but have everyone hate you? Which one do you think would give you the happiest life?
Even though a number of people might choose the good/hated person, it’s hard to believe most would in our materialistically oriented culture. In fact, one has only to look at the state of the world today to see which choice the vast majority of humans are making.
As a Sophist, an ancient Greek philosopher, would say “What benefit is it to be good without profit?”
Well, Plato would argue that the intelligent person would choose to be a good/but hated over a bad/but loved person.
When I was teaching philosophy, I used the “thought experiment” called the “Loved Tyrant vs. the Hated Philosopher” to make the point.
A “Thought Experiment”
A “thought experiment” is an imagined situation that doesn’t necessarily mirror reality, exactly. The point of a thought experiment is to frame an issue in a way that each person must make a decision, and you can’t fudge it. No what if this or what if that, occurs. You have to make your decision on the facts given.
So when I describe the situation of the two characters (the Loved Tyrant and the Hated Philosopher), you will most likely find flaws in each description. I know that, but ignore the flaws and just deal with the situation I describe. This will become clearer as I explain. So, let’s begin.
Who is the Loved Tyrant?
The Loved Tyrant is, as his title claims, loved by everyone. They all think he or she is not only a great leader, but also a wonderful, caring, kind and compassionate person who always puts everybody’s welfare above his own.
But in reality, the Loved Tyrant, is a vicious, mean, cruel, and vindictive, person. I think you can also see how this doesn’t exactly mirror reality. How could people not see that he is a mean and nasty person, certainly someone would eventually wake up to this reality.
That is the beauty of a thought experiment. I can create this kind of a situation and just ask that you go along with me on this.
Who is the Hated Philosopher?
The Hated Philosopher on the other hand, is as his title claims, hated by everyone. They all think he is a mean, nasty, vicious, and violent person, but in reality he is really a very kind, considerate, and compassionate person. Again, just go along with me on this.
In this thought experiment, everyone loves the Tyrant and hates the philosopher and they always will. The question then is, who has the happiest life?
Since this example was used to help elucidate Plato’s Ethics, I need to briefly give an overview of it.
Plato’s Tripartite (3-part) Soul
Plato believed in a tripartite (3-part) soul, made up of appetites (body), passions (heart) and reason (mind). Plato compared the soul to a chariot being pulled by two horses with a charioteer driving it. The two horses represent the appetites and the passions, and the charioteer represents reason. Clearly for the chariot to get anywhere, the charioteer must be in control.
For Plato, this describes the healthy and happy soul. Reason must always be in control of the appetites and the passions if the person is going to get anywhere. If the appetites and the passions are in control, then the person’s soul will crash and burn, just as the chariot would if the charioteer lost control.
I’m sure many, if not all of us can relate to the pain and misery of a life that has no direction or control. It’s a life that just bounces from one thing to the next with no rhyme or reason.
I’ll admit, I and other philosophers think Plato’s over reliance on reason is a problem. I have written elsewhere about the limits of reason. But here I would like to think of reason as representing our higher self, and the ego-driven appetites and passions as representing our lower self.
Who Has the Happiest Life: The Loved Tyrant or the Hated Philosopher?
So, taking all this in, who do you think would have the happiest life according to Plato, and do you agree with him?
It is clear that Plato thinks the Hated Philosopher would have the happiest life. In fact, Plato would declare that the Loved Tyrant is not only more unhappy than the Hated Philosopher, but is actually the most unhappy person alive.
Plato thinks the hated philosopher would be the happiest because he would have justice in his soul. The three parts of his soul would be in alignment, allowing him to function at his best. So, despite the anger and enmity he receives from other people, the Hated Philosopher is at peace with himself. He knows who he is.
Alternatively, the Loved Tyrant would be the most miserable. He can never achieve satisfaction, chasing after every impulse, appetite or desire. None of them will ever fulfill that gnawing need inside. His or her life would be completely out of control as he gives into every whim that pops up in his or her mind.
Plato says Loved Tyrant is Unhappiest of All
But, Plato took it further, believing the Loved Tyrant would be the most miserable person because he is the one who makes all the laws, and is the law. There is no one or nothing above him to moderate his behavior.
Normal people (not tyrants), inclined in that direction would have laws and social disapproval to inhibit their basest impulses and desires.
Plato also believed the Loved Tyrant would be the unhappiest person because he would be the one most enslaved by his appetites, passions, and desires. Being the law, there would be no outside force to reign him in, thus Plato concluded he would be the most miserable.
Relevance For Today
This has relevance for today because I believe a lot of people think freedom means doing whatever you want with no restrictions, but that is not freedom. That is slavery to our lower natures.
It’s only when we can rise above our lower nature and all our unhealthy impulses, that we can make free choices. It is only when we can calm our thought-riddled minds down that we see things clearly. As long as we are run by our appetites, passions and desires, our mind will be out of control, meaning we will be out of control. When we are like this, we can’t live healthy, creative, productive and free lives.
That’s real freedom and something, even after almost 2500 years, we still need to learn from Plato and others.
To learn more about the magic of the universe: Click this link: The Magical Universe.
Photo by Vladislav Babienko on Unsplash
