@@> On Apr-8-98 Frank Masingill wrote to David Martorana
 @@> on  "Curable Souls/Knowledge is Virtue"
 
 DM>> Curable soul ???  If I got any fragments of it correct, Socrates
 DM>> "implied" (as later polished by Plato) the soul could be made right
 DM>> (cured) if its three parts could be brought into balance?
 
 FM> Your confusing Plato's three parts of the personality (head, heart
 FM> and Stomach - crudely stated) with the myth of the soul.
 
  My three parts of soul brought into harmony was taken from the Republic
  [Book IV starting about 443] drawing comparisons between the state and
  the soul; with additional helpful commentary (Plato's tripartite
  soul) by Lavine.  Not sure it was meant to be simplified to "head,
  heart and stomach" (though I guess it could fit)!  It may be that I
  got Plato's "inner man"  confused with his soul structure as he moves
  back and forth sort of weaving man, state, and soul together.
  Lavine's book helped me out on that one. I had thought "knowledge is
  virtue" was about Plato explaining Socrates' touching on "soul
  building"  ......guess I'll have to read a bit more to get any of it
  straight.
 
 FM> Why not just READ the passages in _The Republic_ David, and decide
 FM> for yourself rather than attempt a modern psychological fit for what
 FM> is plainly said there.
 
 Went back and read about the Big "lie" (Republic III) and also "Gorgias"
 concerning the myth of the Judgement (all men are brothers). Though I
 picked up a pretty good description of the Greek notions of soul, my
 reading comprehension is unable to discern "irony" without help !
 
  Getting back to your original---
         "What do you do with souls that are not curable?"
 
 Found this question most interesting even beyond the "Gorgias"
 explorations. If we are seeing soul/mind (psyche) as a physical phenomenon
 (as I presently do), then more can be said for CHEMICAL correction
 (I have seen circumstances of even crude chemical treatment rendering
 a very nice fully-functional everyday life in place of what would have
 been considered insanity or at least bad deportment just 50 years ago
 (righteousness via chemistry). The Freud-Jung-Adler views of the
 conscious-subconscious-unconscious seem to overly dwell on baby demons
 that can be talked to death.  As for the "soul" in a "spiritual"
 straightjacket (even in some exotic combinations), I'm at a "for-the-
 present" loss.
 
 There is also suggestion that a sample of spinal fluid would provide
 a technical profile (ala spectrum analyzer type image) of a person's
 electro-chemical mental state and could be used to brew up a
 counterbalance of custom electro-chemistry rendering an individual to
 "proper" community specs.  In other words we would (one day) translate
 a defective mind(soul?) to a near perfect citizen/heaven  specification.
 
      We may be the last generations of our species to enjoy any
      near complete "sense" of free will...........!
 
 In the Socrates dialog, exploring the "lie of brotherhood" ??? is
 played against the distinctive definitions of unique beings (souls?)
 I could but wonder whether- if we could cure broken souls, how we
 might treat a natural mix of all "right" people. Plato would probably
 have enjoyed working such an "all proper people" problem in his
 "Republic". He almost seems to be in search of such as a base to
 work from anyway. 
 
 I'm afraid I will NOT be able to handle Plato seriously. His presentation
 style is too wordy and clever-ish; and I most often have to depend on
 someone else to explain to me what I've just read (Fully realize that is
 MY problem). I believe his "artistic skills" in the use of symbology are,
 as you've oft expressed, quite wonderful to a mind so prepared for it.
 I can also appreciate his love of wisdom and discomfort with ism's.
 Whatever his many lights, treasured down through history, when he wrote
 his dialogues, he had "someone" in mind as reader-
                                             .....someone other than me.
 
 FM> "Come let us reason together" ~ ..."best human order we can discover"
 
 Yes! *AGREED* for everyday living!!! .....NOT so agreed in the privy
 of mind where I sense STRONGLY that "otherish-lessor-importance" of
 species-
 
                            @@ ... Dave
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