Post#1

In book three Socrates talks of all the things which should be taught in order to promote an "orderly and courageous life." He likes the idea of teaching by a positive example. Everyone must live their life in moderation. He wants boys that grow up fearing slavery more than death. These methods seem good enough, but they raise some questions. It seems to me that growing up without any negative would possibly leave a weaker positive. There may be a lack of reinforcement in a man's character when he is faced with opposition. I imagine a boy that is taught to stand up for what he sees as right and defend the weaker. He goes through his life hearing this and accepting it as his creed, but he is never exposed to the fight on the other end. Come time to act and he is an amateur. Now, if the same boy had his nose rubbed in the dirt a few times and knew what bad was he is no longer an amateur. He knows where he stands and where he has stood in similar situations, and he knows the reason that he opposes his opposite.