Reconciling Free Will and Determinism in Plato's Myth of Er
In the myth of Er, Plato examines the contrast between free will and determinism, and thus sets up his take on the nature of justice. Plato reconciles these concepts and relates them to his broader definition of justice. This paper compares this understanding with the definition of justice Socrates gives to in "Crito"; in doing so, it will reflect on how this worldview aligns with contemporary definitions of justice.
In the myth of Er, Plato presents a story in which souls get to choose their next life. The idea is that they are the masters of their own fate. However, the rub is that this choice is influenced by the soul's previous life experiencesthe souls own habits, virtues, vices, attachments, and so on. What the soul has chosen to do before will determine what the soul wants to do next. This could possibly suggest an element of determinismif, that is to say, the soul is not capable of changing its mind. But Plato reconciles these concepts by proposing that while our circumstances might be predetermined, how we respond to them does depend on our use of free will. We are never bound to act in any given way. We can choose, even if the circumstances might seem like we cannot. This balance between determinism (the hand we are dealt) and free will (how we play our hand) is actually at the heart of Platonic justice (Reid; Stent).
Plato's definition of justice in the "Republic" revolves around the idea of harmony...
…for the curtain bow.In conclusion, Plato's myth of Er in the "Republic" does reconcile free will and determinism. This balance he strikes may seem somewhat different from the more deterministic view of justice in "Crito"but they are more alike than first glance may reveal, due to the emphasis of harmony that Plato also talks about. Compared to contemporary views, Plato's philosophy on this matter is definitely worth a consideration.
Works Cited
Cooper, John M. "Plato's theory of human motivation."History of philosophy quarterly1.1
(1984): 3-21.
Plato. "Republic." Translated by G.M.A. Grube, Hackett Publishing Company, Inc., 1992.
Plato. "Crito." Translated by C.D.C. Reeve, Hackett Publishing Company, Inc., 2002.
Reid, Heather L. "Sport and moral education in Platos Republic."Journal of the Philosophy of
Sport34.2 (2007): 160-175.
Stent, Gunther Siegmund.Paradoxes of free will. Vol. 92. American Philosophical Society,
2002.
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