What is the Role of the Philosopher in Society?

On Hannah Arendt's Socrates

Hannah Arendt writes of Socrates:

“The role of the philosopher is not to rule the city but to be its gadfly, not to tell philosophical truths, but to make citizens more truthful.”

In her rendering, Socrates is a kind of therapeutic figure, helping people articulate their worldviews, but not trying to correct or change them. Socrates wants people to know themselves, not to have the right view of things, as if there were one.

To put it in modern parlance, the role of the philosopher is to minimize “sh*t-posting,” (bad faith arguments intended to score points, not learn or grow).

The philosopher doesn’t dissolve interpersonal conflict; doesn’t adjudicate. The philosopher enables noble conflict, healthy conflict. It’s a lofty view, and one that makes sense in a society where there is trust and shared vision. I’m not sure the philosopher can mend the fractures wrought by polarization, or keep enemies from going to war. But perhaps the philosopher can help prevent stupid, needless wars; ensure that people fight for the right reasons.

Arendt’s Socrates is a presage of our post-truth era, where all we can hope for is meaningful disagreement, not consensus.

Socrates comes to declare a pox on all houses, and is killed for alienating everyone. But he does so with love. He comes to help people live with doubt.

Not everyone is like Socrates; in fact, most of us are not. We are embroiled in fighting for our side. In so doing, we miss the opportunity to be sages. But the sage must forfeit his or her desire to rule, to win, to hold power, to ask the difficult questions.

If only philosophy can help us live truthfully, but philosophy is at the same time a renunciation of the desire to rule, we are in a bind.

Perhaps Socrates must die precisely for pointing out the tension between the desire to rule and the need to live truthfully? Or can one be truthful while also seeking power?

---

What is Called Thinking? is a practice of asking a daily question on the belief that self-reflection brings awe, joy, and enrichment to one’s life. Consider becoming a subscriber to support this project and access subscriber-only content.

You can read my weekly Torah commentary here.