The Importance of Spirit: Heroes and Anti-heroes in Plato’s Republic

Abida Malik

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Chapter 1 The Importance of Spirit

Heroes and Anti-heroes in Plato’s Republic

In: Myth and Religion: The Cultural and Philosophical Significance of the Hero

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Abida Malik

Abida Malik
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Type:: Chapter

Pages:: 11–40

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004744264_003

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Abstract

Heroes and anti-heroes played an important role in Plato’s ethics and politics. This paper gives an overview of Plato’s hero conception in his probably most famous work, the Republic. It shows the connections and contrasts to the archaic hero model and analyzes how Plato reworked that model to transform it into a useful tool for character education in his ideal state. Plato’s rationalization of the Homeric model made it possible for him to equate the philosophic character with the hero. In the final part, anti-heroic characters are analyzed with a special focus on Plato’s paradigmatic anti-hero, the tyrant. The investigation shows that spirit plays a crucial part in heroic and anti-heroic characters. Therefore, if we want to bring forth heroic citizens, or at least prevent anti-heroic ones, education needs to put special emphasis on shaping the spirited part in the right way.

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Myth and Religion: The Cultural and Philosophical Significance of the Hero

Series: New Research in the History of Western Philosophy, Volume: 12

E-Book ISBN:: 9789004744264

Publisher:: Brill

Print Publication Date:: 21 Nov 2025

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Chapter 1 The Importance of Spirit

Heroes and Anti-heroes in Plato’s Republic

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Myth and Religion: The Cultural and Philosophical Significance of the Hero

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