Sunday, 04 October 2026

Major works meeting

• Continuing Metamorphoses
• Starting from 3.510
• Ending around 4.390
• Next week we’ll continue Metamorphoses Book IV and V

Minor works meeting

• Continuing Statesman
• Starting from 286b
• Ending around 293d
• Next week we’ll continue Statesman

Statesman reminder for next week:

[Andrew] Picking up from the discussion on measurement from the previous reading, we first speak of certain things that can only be discovered through verbal means (likely Forms). We then say the discussion length itself must be of a “fitting” length such as to make the participants of the discussion better dialecticians (new defn. of “dialectician”: one who is adept at giving and receiving accounts of things). We then set out to divide the king’s expertise from all other forms of expertise and establish 7(+?) classes of contributory causes: first-born (raw materials), tools, vessels (pots), vehicles (ships?), defense (clothing/armor/walls), playthings (art), nutrition (food/medicine/training). Also mentioned: slave management. We agree that these are not the kingly skill, so can now split off all of these types of expertise from the king’s expertise. The king is said to be conflated with the greatest of sophists, and will be difficult to pick apart from them, so we go into the 5 types of constitution: kingship (monarchy not by force), tyranny (monarchy by force), aristocracy (rule by few not by force + $), oligarchy (rule by few by force + $), and democracy. King’s expertise then can’t be related to money or force. Democracy obviously has no expertise so we look at the other categories. Then we take an aside to talk about the similarities of the doctor and the king – the doctor, regardless of whether he does it by force or not, or whether he is wealthy or not, looks to the good of the patient and his expertise is judged according to that. So now we look to apply this analogy to the king.