Plato on Family (Help me Lazyweb!)

[lightcastle]

One of the stories/episodes for the play we're possibly putting together for the Fringe involves family and something resembling the whole idea that people shouldn't raise their own children. I know Plato goes into this some in the Republic (which is what I am riffing off of here). Does anyone know if there's a decent quote connected to it?

For instance, "Who Guards the Guardians?", associated with the problem of the Guardians and the Noble Lie.

Is there one associated with the corruption possible with raising your own children?

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

I went back through the marked-up copy of Plato I used during undergrad, but I unfortunately couldn't find any pithy quotes on the subject. It's in books V and VI, if you're interested in looking yourself.

Note, though, that it's only the Guardians and the Auxiliaries who don't raise their own children. The lower classes ("bronze" citizens) will have family units just like they always did.

(From Julie / eveglass -- I have no OpenID.)

[lightcastle]

Yeah, there just doesn't seem to be any of his notoriously wonderful sum-up phrases for this.

(And yes, I know the whole thing about communal raising is for the Golds and Silvers because they need to be trained to have power and not be corrupt.)