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but he who is of the first or second class, if he does not vote shall be
punished;—he who is of the second class shall pay a fine of triple the amount
which was exacted at first, and he who is of the first class quadruple. On the
fifth day the rulers shall bring out the names noted down, for all the citizens
to see, and every man shall choose out of them, under pain, if he do not, of
suffering the first penalty; and when they have chosen out of each of the
classes, they shall choose one–half of them by lot, who shall undergo a
scrutiny:—These are to form the council for the year.
The mode of election which has been described is in a mean between
monarchy and democracy, and such a mean the state ought always to observe;
for servants and masters never can be friends, nor good and bad, merely
because they are declared to have equal privileges. For to unequals equals
become unequal, if they are not harmonized by measure; and both by reason
of equality, and by reason of inequality, cities are filled with seditions. The
old saying, that “equality makes friendship,” is happy and also true; but there
is obscurity and confusion as to what sort of equality is meant. For there are
two equalities which are called by the same name, but are in reality in many
ways almost the opposite of one another; one of them may be introduced
without difficulty, by any state or any legislator in the distribution of honours:
this is the rule of measure, weight, and number, which regulates and
apportions them. But there is another equality, of a better and higher kind,
which is not so easily recognized. This is the judgment of Zeus; among men it
avails but little; that little, however, is the source of the greatest good to
individuals and states. For it gives to the greater more, and to the inferior less
and in proportion to the nature of each; and, above all, greater honour always
to the greater virtue, and to the less less; and to either in proportion to their
respective measure of virtue and education. And this is justice, and is ever the
true principle of states, at which we ought to aim, and according to this rule
order the new city which is now being founded, and any other city which may
be hereafter founded. To this the legislator should look—not to the interests of
tyrants one or more, or to the power of the people, but to justice always;
which, as I was saying, the distribution of natural equality among unequals in
each case. But there are times at which every state is compelled to use the
words, “just,” “equal,” in a secondary sense, in the hope of escaping in some
degree from factions. For equity and indulgence are infractions of the perfect
and strict rule of justice. And this is the reason why we are obliged to use the
equality of the lot, in order to avoid the discontent of the people; and so we
invoke God and fortune in our prayers, and beg that they themselves will
direct the lot with a view to supreme justice. And therefore, although we are
compelled to use both equalities, we should use that into which the element of
chance enters as seldom as possible.
1435
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book The Complete Plato"
The Complete Plato
- Title
- The Complete Plato
- Author
- Plato
- Date
- ~347 B.C.
- Language
- English
- License
- PD
- Size
- 21.0 x 29.7 cm
- Pages
- 1612
- Keywords
- Philosophy, Antique, Philosophie, Antike, Dialogues, Metaphysik, Metaphysics, Ideologie, Ideology, Englisch
- Categories
- Geisteswissenschaften
- International