Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/183645
Manliness The Art of By Brett & Kate McKay, courtesy of www.artofmanliess.com What is A Man: The Allegory of the Chariot W JOBS for TEAMS hat is a man? What sort of man should I be? What does it mean to live a good life? What is the best way to live and how do I attain excellence? What should I aim for, and what training and practices must I do to achieve those aims? Such questions have been asked for thousands of years. Few men have grappled with them more, and provided keener insight to the answers, than the philosophers of ancient Greece. In particular, Plato's vision of the tripartite nature of the soul, or psyche, as explained though the allegory of the chariot, is something I have returned to throughout my life. It furnishes an unmatched symbol of what a man is, can be, and what he must do to bridge those two points and attain andreia (manliness), arête (excellence), and finally eudaimonia (full human flourishing). Today we will discuss that allegory and its meaning. While an understanding of the whole allegory and the pondering of it can bring great insight, the ultimate goal of this article is in fact to lay the foundation for two more posts to come in which we will uncover the nature of the one component of Plato's vision of the soul that has almost entirely been lost to modern men:thumos. The Allegory of the Chariot In the Phaedrus, Plato (through his mouthpiece, Socrates) shares the allegory | 16 JobsForTeams1013_manliness.indd 1 of the chariot to explain the tripartite nature of the human soul or psyche. The chariot is pulled by two winged horses, one mortal and the other immortal. The mortal horse is deformed and obstinate. Plato describes the horse as a "crooked lumbering animal, put together anyhow…of a dark color, with grey eyes and blood-red complexion; the mate of insolence and pride, shag-eared and deaf, hardly yielding to whip and spur." The immortal horse, on the other hand, is noble and game,"upright and cleanly made…his color is white, and his eyes dark; he is a lover of honor and modesty and temperance, and the follower of true glory; he needs no touch of the whip, but is guided by word and admonition only." In the driver's seat is the charioteer, tasked with reining in these disparate steeds, guiding and harnessing them to propel the vehicle with strength and efficiency.The charioteer's destination? The ridge of heaven, beyond which he may behold the Forms: essences of things like Beauty,Wisdom, Courage, Justice, Goodness — everlasting Truth and absolute Knowledge.These essences nourish the horses' wings, keeping the chariot in flight. The charioteer joins a procession of gods, led by Zeus, on this trip into the heavens. Unlike human souls, the gods have two immortal horses to pull their chariots and are able to easily soar above. Mortals, on the other hand, have a much more turbulent ride.The white horse wishes to rise, but the dark horse www.jobsforteams.com 9/4/13 3:32 PM