Foil

Character Role Analysis

The Philosopher vs. the Many

This might sound mighty abstract, but the real contrast drawn in the Republic between people isn't between any two characters but between types of people. Perhaps the most important contrast is between the enlightened philosophical individual and the manic, irrational crowd.

Socrates often draws a distinction between "the many" and "the few," so he may seem to be offering up a pretty elitist intellectual perspective (he thinks that crowds and multitudes are naturally incapable of thinking rationally). In fact, he spends most of his time revealing how opinions and beliefs held by "the many" are incorrect. If many people think something, Socrates is automatically suspicious.

Whether that's elitist or not is up to you to decide, but it's worth considering Socrates's point that studying or working on something intensely may give you a new, more enlightened perspective on things you and others might have taken for granted before.