Socrates and the Good Life

In Plato's Protagoras, Socrates initially doubts whether virtue can be taught, but he ultimately decides that all the virtues, including courage, temperance, wisdom, justice, and holiness, consist in knowledge of the good, and that virtue can therefore be taught. Courage, temperance, wisdom, and justice are parts of virtue, in the sense that parts of gold differ from one another only in some parts being larger or smaller than others, rather than in the sense that parts of the face, such as the mouth, nose, eyes, and ears, are different from one another. All the parts of virtue consist in knowledge of what is good and what produces pleasure, and of knowledge of what is bad and what produces pain. To live a good life, we must therefore know how to make the right choices between pleasures and pains. If evil is caused by lack of knowledge of what is good, then no one knowingly chooses to do evil or is overcome by a desire for pleasure (because that would amount to doing evil because of being overcome by good). Weakness of will is therefore impossible. Rather, ignorance may consist in not knowing how to properly weigh pleasures against pains.

      I personally don't agree with the concept of the unity of the virtues--that all the virtues are identical, and that they're merely different names for the same thing. Nor do I agree with the concept of the reciprocity of the virtues--that the virtues are distinct, but if you have one of them, then you have them all. I agree with the concept of the separability of the virtues, insofar as it means that it's possible to have some of the virtues without having others, but I don't think the virtues are totally distinct or completely separable from one another. Rather, I think another view needs to be considered: the commonality of the virtues--that the virtues are different from one another, but they all have something in common. That's what I thought Socrates was getting at when he asked Protagoras whether courage, temperance, wisdom, and justice are parts of virtue or whether they're all merely names for the same thing. If Socrates is indeed proposing a theory of the unity of the virtues, then he's saying that the terms "courage", "temperance", "wisdom", and "justice" are actually synonymous, and that they all mean the same thing. Of course, that's just one example of his making statements that are puzzling, obviously false, or counterintuitive. 

      Another example is when he says that folly is the opposite of temperance, and that every virtue has one and only one opposite, even though folly isn't the opposite of temperance. Folly is actually the opposite of wisdom, and intemperance is the opposite of temperance.

       In Plato's Republic, Socrates sees the good life as a state of harmony or justice within the soul, as well as within a whole society. Justice in the state will be attained when no one takes what belongs to someone else, and when no one is deprived of what belongs to them. Thus, if a carpenter, cobbler, warrior, or legislator engages in the activities to which they are most naturally suited, then they will have and do what belongs to them, and if all do likewise, then there will be justice in the state. 

      Of course, we need to critique the concept that people are "naturally" suited for certain occupations. Who is to determine what occupations people are "naturally" suited for? Such determinations, when made by those in power and authority, may reflect implicit biases and prejudgements about people, and they may be influenced by racism, sexism, and classism. If everyone isn't allowed to choose for themselves the occupation they prefer, then more advantaged and privileged people may attempt to subordinate less advantaged and less privileged people by assigning them to occupations of lower social status, based on the presupposition that social hierarchies and conditions of oppression and domination are the "natural" order of things.

      When Glaucon asks Socrates how the ideal state can come into being, Socrates offers another explanation of how justice can be achieved: the ideal state will come into being when philosophers become kings, and kings become philosophers. When rulers combine philosophic wisdom with the exercise of political power, and when they're guided by the virtues of courage, wisdom, temperance, and justice, then the ideal state will come into being.

      According to Socrates, a philosopher is a person who seeks to know the true nature of things, rather than the mere appearances of things. The true nature of things (as revealed by their ideal Forms) is unchangeable, but the appearances of things are changeable. While it's possible to have knowledge of the ideal Forms of things (and of the Good itself), it's only possible to have beliefs or opinions about the appearances of things. While the true natures of things can become objects of knowledge, the appearances of things can only become objects of belief.

      Socrates illustrates the difference between the world of appearances and the world of true reality by presenting The Allegory of the Cave. If a group of prisoners is chained inside an underground cave, then they may not be able to distinguish the difference between the shadows moving along the walls of the cave and the real forms moving along a parapet above them. If one of the prisoners is released from his chains, and he goes to the entrance of the cave, then he may be dazzled by the light of the outside world, and he may still be unable to see things as they are in true reality. If the prisoner then returns to the cave, then he may be confused by the darkness, and he may still be unable to distinguish the real forms from the shadows inside the cave. An implication of the allegory is that if we are to have knowledge of true reality, then we must be able to distinguish objects in the world of knowledge from objects in the world of belief. A philosopher is someone who can distinguish between mere appearances and true reality, and who seeks to arrive not at mere beliefs about the appearances of things, but at actual knowledge of the true natures of things.

      I personally find it difficult to apply Plato's vision of harmony in the soul to what I would call the good life, because harmony for Plato means subordination of the spirited and appetitive aspects of the soul to the rational aspect of the soul. I don't believe that our moral lives are merely a matter of subordinating ourselves to reason.

      Our moral lives are in part determined by our commitments to our families, friends, neighbors, and communities. These commitments may be not only personal, psychological, moral, religious, and social, but also professional, financial, ideological, and political. Furthermore, when we're really committed to someone or something, our commitment is not only intellectual, but also emotional. The strength of our intellectual engagement or commitment may be matched by the strength of our emotional engagement or commitment. To say that our moral lives are a matter of subordinating ourselves to reason rather than emotion may therefore be to deny that our morality may be reflected by our emotional as well as intellectual commitments. It may be to deny that our emotional commitments may be as strong as or perhaps even stronger than our intellectual commitments. To be incapable of having emotional commitments as strong as our intellectual commitments would seem to make for a possible defect in our morality.

      A counterexample to Socrates's rejection of the concept of weakness of will in the Protagoras can be found in the Republic, Book IV, 439-440, when he tells the story of Leontius, son of Aglaion. Leontius, on his way up from the Piraeus, saw the bodies of some dead criminals who had been executed and left lying on the ground, and he wanted to go and take a look at them. However, he was also disgusted by his desire to take a look at the dead bodies, and he wanted to look away. He struggled with his desire to look at the dead bodies, and he finally surrendered to it, cursing himself in anger. Thus, we have an example of the appetitive aspect of the soul overcoming the rational aspect of the soul, and therefore of weakness of will, contradicting Socrates's assertion in the Protagoras that weakness of will is impossible. 

What's a Badass?

A badass is someone who's courageous, confident, strong, fearless, and who doesn't back down. Someone who doesn’t hesitate to express themselves or show who they are. No tiptoeing around the bush. No walking on eggshells. A badass knows who they are, and they aren’t afraid to stand up for themselves. 

      A badass won't let themselves be bullied. They can tolerate minor harassment, but they don't let themselves be pushed around. When they're compelled to act, they have fighting and survival skills no one would have expected. 

      A badass is ready to speak truth to power. A badass will stand up to others in the face of threats and intimidation. A badass is ready to kick ass if necessary. A badass is also someone who’s loyal and who will be there for their friends and rock with them all the way out. 

      There’s no telling a badass they’re not big enough or pretty enough or good enough. A badass knows their own abilities and doesn't have to impress anybody, but they can also show some swagger when doubters are around. They don't brag about themselves, and that way they catch people off guard.

      A badass will do something that nobody else thought of doing and be so bold about it that they catch their enemies by surprise. They have street smarts and know how to get out of a jam.

      “Badass” is a term of praise, so it doesn’t apply to someone who’s a thug, victimizer, sociopath, narcissist, misogynist, or creep. 

      Shaft is a badass. John Wick is a badass. Lisbeth Salander (in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) is a badass. Lorraine Broughton (in Atomic Blonde) is a badass. Sandor Clegane (The Hound, in Game of Thrones) is a badass. 

      

Immanence and Transcendence

The following is an excerpt from a brief reflection I shared at the "Faith at Eight" service at church on Sunday, May 3, 2026, when I read Evelyn Underhill's poem "Immanence" to the other members of our group during our reflection period.

In today's reading from the Gospel of John, Jesus says, "Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves" (John 14:10-12).
      I think that one of the themes of today's reading from John is God's immanence. Jesus is in God, and God is in him. God is in us, and we are in him.
      Evelyn Underhill (1875-1941), a British poet and novelist who wrote several books about religious mysticism, wrote a poem called "Immanence" (1916), which consists of three stanzas, each of which begins with the lines "I come in the little things,/Saith the Lord." The poem is rather formal in style and language, and it's an example of Edwardian poetry, which may use an archaic vocabulary and may strictly adhere to conventional meter and rhyme schemes. But one reason I found the poem to be quite resonant and meaningful was that it says God comes "in the little things."
      We can feel God's presence among us. We can know God's immanence. But at the same time, we can't be aware of God's immanence without also being aware of God's transcendence. God's immanence and transcendence are inseparable. The mystery of God's presence is God's simultaneous immanence and transcendence. And I think that is also the mystery of the Holy Eucharist. When we consume the bread and wine of the Holy Eucharist, God's presence is within us, and we are in God.The Holy Spirit can find a dwelling place within us. We can transcend ourselves if the Holy Spirit is within us. But God also transcends human reality.
      Jesus is called Emmanuel because the name Emmanuel means "God with us." The name Emmanuel signifies God's presence. And the mystery of God's presence, immanently and transcendently, can be found everywhere we look for God.

Chronology of the Life of Sister Thea Bowman (1937-1990)

Sister Thea Bowman was a Black Catholic religious sister, teacher, preacher, singer, evangelist, and social justice advocate.

1937 - On December 29, 1937, she was born Bertha Elizabeth Bowman, to Mary Esther Bowman, a teacher, and Theon Edward Bowman, a physician, in Yazoo City, Mississippi. She later described herself as an "old folks' child," because her parents were middle-aged when she was born. She was their only child.

    

1947 - Her parents were Methodists, but Bertha attended a Catholic school, the Holy Child Jesus School in Canton, Mississippi, which had been founded for Black children by the Missionary Servants of the Most Holy Trinity and the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration, a religious order from La Crosse, Wisconsin. At the age of nine, with her parents' permission, she converted to Catholicism and was baptized into the Catholic Church.

1953 - At the age of fifteen, she decided to become a religious sister, and despite her parents' initial concerns regarding how she would be received by other members of the convent, she became the first African American member of the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration, in La Crosse, Wisconsin.

1955 - She was diagnosed with tuberculosis and was treated for ten months at River Pines Sanatorium, in Stevens Point, Wisconsin.

1956 - She took the name Sister Mary Thea, in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary and her father, Theon. The name Thea also meant "of God."

1958 - She taught at Blessed Sacrament School, in La Crosse, Wisconsin.

1961 - She taught at Holy Child Jesus School, in Canton, Mississippi. She directed the school choir, and they recorded an album to raise money to build a new wing at the school.¹

1965 - She earned a B.A. in English from Viterbo College (now Viterbo University), a Catholic college in La Crosse, Wisconsin.

1968 - She became s founding member of the National Black Sisters' Conference (NBSC), an organization of Black Catholic sisters and nuns. 

     

1969 - She earned an M.A. in English at The Catholic University of America, in Washington, D.C. As a graduate student, she created the first course in Black literature taught at the university.

1972 - She earned a Ph.D. in English at The Catholic University of America. Her doctoral dissertation was on the relationship of pathos and style in Thomas More's A Dialogue of Comfort Against Tribulation. She traveled in Europe and studied during the summer at Oxford University.

1972 - She started teaching at Viterbo College, eventually becoming chair of the English department.

1978 - She became a consultant (and later the director) of the Office of Intercultural Awareness for the Diocese of Jackson, Mississippi.² She had speaking engagements across the country, and she became a nationally recognized advocate for social justice. 

      Following the modernizing changes made by the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965), and because her order, the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration, allowed members to forgo the traditional requirement of wearing a nun's habit, she started wearing African dress in order to celebrate her ancestry and more closely reflect the people whom she served.³

      She advocated for the full inclusion of African American religious expression within the Catholic Church, and she urged the Church to combat racism.

1980 - She was a founding faculty member of the Institute of Black Catholic Studies at Xavier University of Louisiana, in New Orleans.

       

1984 - Both of her parents died, and she was diagnosed with breast cancer, which had already spread to her lymph nodes and bones. She underwent surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy.

1985 - She received The Harriet Tubman Award from the National Black Sisters' Conference. She traveled to Nairobi, Kenya to participate in the International Eucharistic Congress, and she also traveled to Zimbabwe and Nigeria.⁴

1987 - She was interviewed by Mike Wallace for a segment of 60 Minutes, which was broadcast on May 3rd. After seeing the 60 Minutes program, Harry Belafonte began to make plans for a film about her life, starring Whoopi Goldberg. She met both of them during a trip to California in 1988. Harry Belafonte also visited her home in Canton, Mississippi, and he visited her at Xavier University in New Orleans, where he spoke with her students.

      At the Conference of The National Congress of the Religious Formation, in New Orleans, she delivered an address entitled "Cosmic Spirituality: Formation in a New Age," in which she said,

      "We invite men and women from the cultures of the world to come into our congregations...So often in formation and in community, their spiritual gifts and spiritual journeys are ignored. Talk with the people of color in your congregations, in your formation programs. Ask them to what extent they believe that you are serious about understanding them--their history, their experience, their culture, their heritage, their art, their music, their styles of prayer, their styles of meeting, their songs, their dances, their modalities of relationship. To what extent are you serious about sharing their spirituality, their styles of life and prayer and relationship?

      ...When Jesus is among us, to work among us miracles of transformation and miracles of love, there is no neutral ground. Neutral ground becomes loving ground, loving ground becomes holy ground, holy ground becomes Kingdom ground. We are the children of the cosmos, the children of the universe."⁵

      She was an inspirational figure in the creation of the first African American Catholic hymnal, which was published in 1987 and was entitled "Lead Me, Guide Me."

1988 - She recorded the albums "Songs of My People" and "Round the Glory Manger."

      Among the honorary degrees she received were doctoral degrees from Clarke College, Xavier University, Sacred Heart University, Viterbo College, Marygrove College, and Georgetown University. She was the first African-American woman to receive an honorary doctorate in religion from Boston College.

      

1989 - Wearing African dress, and sitting in a wheelchair due to her weakness from advanced cancer, she delivered a historic address at the general assembly of U.S. Catholic Bishops, at Seton Hall University, in South Orange, NJ. 

      She began by singing, in her beautiful, operatic voice, "Sometimes I feel like a motherless child," and she finished by having all the bishops stand, and join arms and sing "We Shall Overcome." In a very moving and charismatic speech, she addressed the question of "What does it mean to be Black and Catholic?" She explained that Black people are sometimes viewed by the Church with a patronizing and paternalistic attitude, and that some Catholics (and even some Black Catholics) may not fully approve of Black religious expression within the Catholic liturgy. Some members of the Church may feel that Black religious expression is not properly Catholic, and that it's not appropriately solemn or dignified. But she also explained that being Black and Catholic means that

"I bring myself, my Black self, all that I am, all that I have, all that I hope to become, I bring my whole history, my traditions, my experience, my culture, my African American song and dance, and gesture and movement, and teaching and preaching, and healing and responsibility as gifts to the Church."⁶

      Thus, she called for the Church to be a place in which the gifts of all people are welcome.⁷ 

She called for the Church to enable all Catholics to worship and pray, to feed the hungry and clothe the poor, to shelter the homeless and comfort the sick, to teach, and to do the work of the Church in the modern world.

1990 - Just a few weeks before she died, as she reflected on the meaning of Holy Week, she wrote, "Old folks used to say, "God is bread when you'e hungry. God is water when you're thirsty. God is a shelter from the storm. God is rest when you're weary. God's my doctor. God's my lawyer. God's my captain who never lost a battle. God is my lily of the valley."⁸

      On March 30th, she died of breast cancer, at the age of 52, in Canton, Mississippi. On April 4th, she was buried next to her parents at Elmwood Cemetery, in Memphis, Tennessee. 

      She was posthumously awarded the Laetare Medal, the oldest and most prestigious award given to American Catholics, from Notre Dame University. She was the first African-American to receive this award.

      An obituary in the NY Times on April 1st began by saying,

      "Sister Thea Bowman, a nationally active black educator who with song, prayer and persistent exhortation urged the Roman Catholic Church to embrace the culture of African Americans, died of cancer on Friday at her home in Canton, Miss. She was 52 years old."⁹

2018 - She was endorsed for sainthood by the U.S. Catholic Bishops at their fall Plenary Assembly in Baltimore.

FOOTNOTES

¹"Going Home Like a Shooting Star: Thea Bowman's Journey to Sainthood," film documentary, New Group Media and the Diocese of Jackson, Mississippi, written and produced by Sister Judith Ann Zielinski, 2022.

²Sister Thea Bowman, Shooting Star: Selected Writings and Speeches, edited by Celestine Cepress (Winona Minnesota: Saint Mary's Press, 1993), p. 14.

³René Ostberg, "Thea Bowman," in Encyclopedia Brittanica, 26 March 2026, online at https://www.britannica.com/biography/Thea-Bowman.

⁴Sister Thea Bowman, Shooting Star: Selected Writings and Speeches, edited by Celestine Cepress, p. 13.

⁵Ibid., pp. 106-107.

⁶Ibid., p. 32.

⁷Ibid. p. 29.

⁸Thea Bowman, In My Own Words, compiled and edited by Maurice J. Nutt (Liguori, Missouri: Liguori Publications, 2009), p. 3.

⁹Dennis Hevesi, "Sister Thea Bowman, 52, Worker for Catholic Sharing With Blacks," in The New York Times, April 1, 1990.

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