Glory is the theme of the next essay in The Hobbit and Philosophy by Charles Taliaferro and
Craig Lindahl-Urben, glory in battle for example. Bilbo’s fellow dwarves arguably sought the
glory of recovering their lost treasure from the dragon Smaug. Obtaining glory in battle apparently was a
big thing in the ancient world if not at other times. Plato and other ancient philosophers sought
to challenge the notion of glory with an alternative: the love of beauty,
wisdom, truth and the improvement of the soul (or mind for those like me who do
not believe in souls).
It is to be noted
that the ancients do not speak with one voice.
Here Plato is disagreeing with a tradition of Sparta and Athens. Thus if you say that the ancients should be
acknowledged as wise, the question is which ancient people are you talking
about. For example, whereas some
ancients believed in gods (including Plato and Aristotle) others (e.g.
Epicurus) would say things like that freedom from belief in gods frees you from
the worry and anxiety of having to appease such gods.
It seems that seeking glory for its own sake is not a good
thing, but if one overcomes odds with virtues like courage in a fight for a
just cause, then glory, so to speak, has its place.
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