Physicians Statesmen at the Government. The therapeutic use of the speech in Plato's Politics [Medici politici al governo. L'uso terapeutico del discorso nella politica di Platone]

Abstract

The aim of this text is to emphasize the therapeutic dimension peculiar to political discourse in the practice of public office that the statesman acquires from the doctor-patient relationship, a fundamental issue in various Platonic dialogs and, especially, in two passages of the Laws. The intrinsic component of "therapy" that is distinctive of a use of the discourse in the political context relies on two aspects: a) the syggeneia between body, soul and discourse; b) the importance for the statesman, as well as for the physician, to be careful with the three constitutive aspects of the human being, body, soul and socio-political dimension, given the importance of their mutual influence in human life. In order to analyze the aforementioned aspects of the Platonic philosophy we use passages of Plato's Statesman and Laws, and we'll employ the Timaeus when necessary.