Then, my good friend, take my advice, and refute no more." In short, you must learn to take care of yourself and deal with current circumstances -- refusing to participate in 'the system' will only cause you harm, and by extension, harm to those you care about. If politicians did not learn to deal with the real world on a practical level, nothing would get accomplished, including social justice. That is why people think little of individuals who do not work at anything practical, and merely philosophize -- often living off of the good will of others.

Callicles positions himself as a great orator, but Socrates states that the humbleness of philosophy and its necessity is what makes it great -- in other words, Callicles' advocacy of the political life does not involve real, material work, but only empty hot air. Knowing how to philosophize is as necessary as knowing...
[ View Full Essay]