Dr. Jennifer Frey joins me to walk through the argument, and she is clear that this is no mere academic exercise. Plato is mapping the options that are still with us. The seeds of Machiavelli and Hobbes are already here.

What makes the section so powerful is the way Glaucon strips justice of every external reward. He imagines a man of perfect injustice who has a reputation for justice, and then a man of perfect justice who has a reputation for injustice. The just man, they will say, will be whipped, racked, bound, have both his eyes burned out, and at the end, when he has undergone every sort of evil, he will be crucified. Dr. Frey notes that he will be treated like Christ. Plato is writing about his master, Socrates, but the parallel is unavoidable. The question the passage forces on the reader is simple and severe: is justice good in itself, or only for its effects? Glaucon wants the second kind of good. He wants to be shown that justice is desirable for its own sake and for what comes from it. Everything that follows in the Republic is an attempt to answer him.

If you are reading the Republic with us, this is the section that sets the stakes. The drama is part of the pedagogy. You cannot extract the argument and leave the myth behind. The question is first (i) what is justice and second (ii) is justice more profitable for the soul than injustice. That is the problem Book Two places before us, and it is the problem the rest of the dialogue will try to solve—at least on its face.

Be sure to check out our entire reading schedule, so you can be sure to read alongside us.

Dcn. Harrison Garlick lives in rural Oklahoma with his wife and five children. He serves as a deacon at Holy Family Cathedral and as Chancellor & General Counsel for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tulsa. Follow him on X at Dcn. Garlick or Ascend.

Dear Members of the Ascend Book Club,

Book Two of the Republic is the foundation for the rest of the text. Glaucon restores Thrasymachus’ argument and strengthens it. Does Glaucon believe his own argument against justice? Presumably not—but the culture has kneaded into Glaucon and Adeimantus a belief that the best life is to be unjust while appearing just. In this way, you receive the benefit of both. Glaucon and Adeimantus press Socrates to truly explain what justice is and why justice is more profitable to the soul than injustice. Out of piety toward justice, Socrates agrees—and we receive a wonderful text that includes the ring of Gyges, the attributes of the god, the first use of the term theology in the West, the purpose of education as divinization, and so much more.

Join our slow read-along of Plato’s Republic!

We begin reading this life-changing book on October 6. Check out the full reading schedule here.

Subscribe now

To support our mission and get all our resources, become a paid book club member. In addition to the weekly podcast, you’ll get:

• Live book club discussions with Dcn. Garlick & guest scholars (monthly)

• In-depth reading guides and essays to lead you through the great books

• Access to our incredible community of readers

• The full archive of members-only content (guides, essays, and podcasts)

In Book Two, Plato, through his characters, is able to presage many of the arguments of modern philosophy—revealing again that the Republic is a reference point for the entire Western philosophic tradition. In fact, many of the novel philosophies of the moderns are little more than resurrected rejected arguments in the Republic. Pay special attention to his comments on justice under the social contract and the benefit of appearing just but being unjust—as these will come back under such thinkers as Machiavelli, Hobbes, and Locke.

Here is everything you receive in the guide:

1. A 16-page guide (8500+ words)

2. An introductory letter from Dcn. Garlick

3. A detailed outline

4. A list of questions to consider as you read

5. 24 robust questions on the text

Book Two also famously gives the first Christological allusion. Plato is of course writing about his master, Socrates, but his words about the just man with a reputation for injustice who is crucified captures the Christian imagination—and is not the last time the close parallels between Socrates and Christ will make Plato sound prophetic.

Finally, the very namesake of the Republic is found in this book, as Socrates, Glaucon, and Adeimantus become legislators in the new city in speech. The purpose and nature of this city (and how you read it) leads to deep, decisive debates about the true purpose of this text. The book will end by speaking about education and its purpose of divinizing the student.

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We have something rather special coming up next week. On Tuesday, November 3, we’re hosting our very first live book club discussion…

This is your opportunity to put your own questions about Plato directly to one of America’s leading political philosophers.

Dr. Priou is an outstanding scholar of Plato and Professor of Political Philosophy at the University of Austin, and we are honored that he’ll be taking our questions directly on one of the most important works of Western philosophy.

All of our paid members are invited to take part in this discussion — not simply to listen in!

Please submit any questions you’d like Dr. Priou to answer inside the subscriber chat, and we’ll send these to him ahead of time. Of course, there will also be live Q&A during the call itself if you don’t have your questions ready just yet.

The link to Tuesday’s live event (November 3, at noon CT) is here.

We could not be more excited. We’d love you to join us.

P.S. Check out our recent podcast with Dr. Priou on Book One. He is a truly excellent guide and mentor to walk us through the opening of Plato’s greatest dialogue.

Members also get access to our in-depth reading guides — you can start here with our 12 Questions guide to Book One.

We look forward to seeing you on Tuesday.

Dante is a master of the soul.

And our Ascend course is the best way to read his Inferno and learn his lessons.

Taking Dante the Poet as our master and guide, Ascend journeys through the Inferno over seven (7) episodes with some absolutely excellent guests: from the dark wood with Dr. Jeremy Holmes to the frozen heart of hell with Evan Amato, with Dr. Jen…

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To Members of the Ascend Book Club,

Dante is a master of the soul. The Divine Comedy is no less than St. Thomas Aquinas’ Summa Theologiae in poetic form. It is the zenith of the medieval mind, and a testament to an ordered cosmos under Divine Providence. Dante the Poet weaves together Holy Scripture, Aristotle, Greco-Roman mythology, St. Thomas Aquinas, and more to invite you, his reader, to one thing: salvation. Dante the Poet asks us to see ourselves in Dante the Pilgrim and join him in his journey through hell, purgatory, and heaven.

In the Inferno, Dante the Poet rips away the glamorous veneer of human desire and reveals the ugliness of sin. The damned loved a lesser good than God, and in hell, God gives the damned that which they loved—and they become imploded and grotesque. The architecture of hell is love. And everything that is presented in the Inferno is part of a pedagogy of love. Dante the Poet wants you to go to heaven, and he offers the punishments of hell, the identities of the damned, and the structure of hell itself as lessons for your sanctification in Jesus Christ. We see ourselves in Dante the Pilgrim and follow the call to ascend toward God.

Here is everything you receive in the guide:

1. A 36-page guide (19,000+ words)

2. An introductory letter from Dcn. Garlick

3. Preliminary reading questions

4. 83 thorough questions on Dante’s Inferno

I am indebted to those with whom I have read the Inferno before and to those who joined me in discussing Dante’s Inferno for Lent 2025. Thank you to Dr. Jeremy Holmes of Wyoming Catholic, Dr. Jennifer Frey of the University of Tulsa, Dr. Jessica Hooten Wilson of Pepperdine, Dr. Jason Baxter of Benedictine College, Fr. Thomas Esposito, O. Cist., of the University of Dallas, Noah Tyler and Gabriel Blanchard of the Classic Learning Test, Dr. Donald Prudlo of the University of Tulsa, and Mr. Evan Amato. I was blessed by their wisdom and insights, and I hope you all will be as well.

Dante presents us with a tremendous challenge. Not simply because he is a master teacher of the soul and its loves, but because he is not a modern man. He is free from many of the ideologies that warp our religious and political imaginations today. He has lessons for us if we are bold enough to embrace them. Like Dante the Pilgrim journeying through hell, we too must grow in our courage and push onward toward God. We must discipline our desires, order our loves, and be beautiful as God is beautiful.

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Today on Ascend we take up the last of the short, strange, so-called forgotten dialogues we are reading in anticipation of the Republic. The Ion bears the traditional subtitle “On the Iliad.” Ion is a celebrated rhapsode, fresh from a poetic victory, and he claims he speaks more beautifully about Homer than any other human being. Socrates asks whether t…

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Dear Members of the Ascend Book Club,

Plato’s Ion is the last of the short, strange, so-called forgotten dialogues we are reading in the Summer of 2026 in anticipation of the Republic. Bearing the traditional subtitle “On the Iliad,” the work tells of the celebrated rhapsode, Ion, fresh from a poetic victory, claiming that he speaks more beautifully about Homer than any other human being. Socrates asks whether that gift is a techne—a craft or art—or a divine possession. The dialogue is aporetic, as most of these short dialogues are, but this one leaves the reader a bit more perplexed than Hipparchus or the Lovers but maybe not as bad as Hippias Minor.

Here is everything you receive in the guide:

1. A 7-page guide (3000+ words)

2. An introductory letter from Dcn. Garlick

3. Detailed outline of the Ion

4. Preliminary reading questions

5. 10 thorough questions on Plato’s Ion

We had a full house to discuss this on the podcast. I am grateful to Dr. Frank Grabowski, Mr. Thomas Lackey, Mr. Jack Drury, and Mr. Erik Rostad of the Book of Titans Podcast for joining me to explore this important dialogue. The conversation pressed two tensions that matter far beyond this short text: whether poetry is an art or an inspiration; and whether poetry or philosophy is the best teacher of mankind.

Moreover, a careful read might even conclude that Socrates, not Ion, speaks about Homer best, and that Plato, not Ion, best conveys knowledge through poetry. The Ion is another excellent appetizer to the Republic, especially the conversation in Book Ten on the poets as poor imitators of reality.

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Today on Ascend we take up another of Plato’s forgotten dialogues, Hippias Minor, traditionally subtitled “On the Lie”. Socrates faces Hippias, a younger sophist who has never met a man his superior in anything. The conversation begins with a conversation on the Iliad discussing who is more heroic: Achilles or Odysseus? Hippias prefers the simple, truth…

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Dear Supporters of Ascend,

Plato’s Hippias Minor (or Lesser Hippias) carries the traditional subtitle “On the Lie.” After a boastful sophist has delivered a speech on Homer, Socrates is drawn into a conversation on lying and the heroic using Achilles and Odysseus as an example—it is somewhat charming to see a “great books” conversation in the ancient world, as Socrates and Hippias discuss a specific passage from the Iliad. And we must ask ourselves whether in this dialogue on lying, Socrates has been lying to us. Many of the dialogues are aporetic—they end without a positive definition, they end in bewilderment—but Hippias Minor is explicit at the end that Socrates does not fully agree with his own conclusion. It is a deeply aporetic dialogue.

Here is everything you receive in the guide:

1. A 8-page guide (3000+ words)

2. An introductory letter from Dcn. Garlick

3. Detailed outline of Hippias Minor

4. Preliminary reading questions

5. 8 thorough questions on Plato’s Hippias Minor

I am grateful to Dr. Frank Grabowski, Dr. Brett Larson, and Mr. Thomas Lackey for joining me and helping all of us explore the nature of lying, voluntary and involuntary actions, and the nature of knowledge. Hippias Minor is important not only for what questions it raises but for what questions it does not—what concepts are missing from the dialogue that could help resolve its aporetic nature. Overall, the strange, forgotten dialogue of Hippias Minor serves as another excellent forerunner to Plato’s Republic, especially on the conversation of the “noble lie.”

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Today on Ascend, we take up one of Plato’s forgotten dialogues, the Lovers. It is short, strange, and worth your time. Socrates walks into a grammar school and finds two older men competing for the favor of a boy. One loves music. The other loves athletics. Anyone who has read the Republic, or will, should notice the quintessential pairing of music and …

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Dear Supporters of Ascend,

Plato’s Lovers (sometimes called Rival Lovers) is one of the short, strange, and so-called “forgotten” dialogues. It is definitional—asking “What is philosophy?”—and ends in aporia, that fruitful perplexity in which we learn, at least, what philosophy is not. The erotic setting of the Lovers also merits your consideration, as Plato hands you a mirror to examine what your soul loves and how it loves it.

I am grateful to Dr. Frank Grabowski and Dr. Brett Larson for joining me to work through this text. Both have been generous companions to our journey through Plato here on Ascend, and I am indebted to them. Their insights sharpened my own reading of a dialogue that, on its face, appears simple yet quietly sets the stage for the education of the soul, the ordering of eros, and the first movements of political philosophy.

Here is everything you receive in the guide:

1. A 8-page guide (3000+ words)

2. An introductory letter from Dcn. Garlick

3. Detailed outline of the Lovers

4. Preliminary reading questions

5. 11 thorough questions on Plato’s Lovers

The setting of the dialogue is a grammar school. Two older rivals—one devoted to athletics, the other to music and “much learning”—compete for the favor of younger boys who are themselves disputing astronomy and geometry. Into this erotic and educational contest walks Socrates. The dialogue raises the question of who truly loves the young, and what a true love of the soul looks like. It also offers subtle images of the tripartite soul and serves as a notable appetizer for the richer conversations of the Republic.

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From the fullness of time and the meeting of Athens and Jerusalem to C.S. Lewis, classical education, the myths of the Republic, and why even modern Christians still need Plato, this is a rich exploration of the intellectual roots of the faith and the enduring power of the Great Books.

Dr. Markos is a whirlwind on a mission.

Join us.

And THANK YOU again to the Classic Learning Test for sponsoring this episode.

Join our slow read-along of Plato’s Republic!

We begin reading this life-changing book on October 6. Check out the full reading schedule here.

Subscribe now

To support our mission and get all our resources, become a paid book club member. In addition to the weekly podcast, you’ll get:

• Live book club discussions with Dcn. Garlick & guest scholars (monthly)

• In-depth reading guides and essays to lead you through the great books

• Access to our incredible community of readers

• The full archive of members-only content (guides, essays, and podcasts)

Dr. Markos opened by framing his lifelong project of uniting Athens and Jerusalem—the Greco-Roman and Judeo-Christian inheritances that together shaped the West. He argued that the “fullness of time” was not only political and linguistic but intellectual: Greek philosophy, especially Plato, prepared the human heart for the Gospel through general revelation. God did not ignore the nations; He used reason, conscience, and imagination to plant redemptive analogies that pointed toward Christ.

Dr. Markos noted that this recovery is now happening among evangelicals, who are reclaiming the classical tradition just as many secular universities abandon it, and that classical Christian education is quietly reintroducing Plato, the Church Fathers, and a hierarchical view of reality to a generation once wary of anything outside the Bible alone.

The conversation then turned to Plato’s specific role as a kind of pre-evangelism. Dr. Markos distinguished Socrates’ negative work of clearing false definitions from Plato’s positive construction of the Good, the True, and the Beautiful. He highlighted how the Republic uses the just and unjust man, the city-soul analogy, and the Myth of Er to show that injustice disorders the soul itself—an insight modern students often encounter first in Plato rather than in Scripture. Myths, he explained, are not mere stories for those who cannot grasp philosophy; they incarnate truths that pure dialectic cannot fully express, especially the reality of final judgment and the damage sin does to the soul.

Deacon Garlick and Thomas Lackey pressed further on St. Augustine’s decisive Christianization of the Forms: relocating them in the divine Logos and affirming that God knows both universals and particulars, so that Platonic metaphysics is not an alien overlay but something already latent in the New Testament’s language of participation, shadows, and heavenly patterns.

The episode closed with C.S. Lewis as the modern bridge who makes Plato accessible to Protestants. Dr. Markos pointed to the heavenly Narnia that is “more real” than the earthly one, the Silver Chair’s psychological undoing of the children’s knowledge of Aslan and the sun, and Lewis’s consistent realism against nominalism.

Throughout, the guests returned to the practical stakes of the Republic for first-time readers: follow the through-line that justice is better than injustice even when it costs everything, let the allegory of the cave reorient what counts as real, and treat Plato not as an opponent to be purged but as a candle whose light is completed, not extinguished, by the greater light of Christ.

If you’re interested in reading more on how Plato and the broader Hellenized culture impact the Gospel, check out “Do Christians Owe a Debt to Homer” and “How Plato Helped St. Augustine Convert to Christianity.”

Good work!

Next week we start Book Two of the Republic. Check out our reading schedule for more information.

Dcn. Harrison Garlick lives in rural Oklahoma with his wife and five children. He serves as a deacon at Holy Family Cathedral and as Chancellor & General Counsel for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tulsa. Follow him on X at Dcn. Garlick or Ascend.

All Socratic rhetoric is tailored to the interlocutor.

But what if the interlocutor is nameless and unknown?

How does the lack of dramatic detail inform Plato’s intended pedagogy?

In this episode of Ascend, Dcn. Garlick and Dr. Grabowski discuss a short, strange, and somewhat forgotten Platonic dialogue—the Hipparchus. The dialogue takes up the question of…

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Dear Supporters of Ascend,

What is “love of gain”? What does it mean that an undeniable trait of the human condition is the insatiable desire for more? In Plato’s Hipparchus, we turn to a short, strange, somewhat forgotten dialogue to explore this exact question. It is a mysterious dialogue, as it begins abruptly, has no setting, the interlocutor is nameless, and ends in aporetic bewilderment. At first glance, the Hipparchus is most remarkable for how unremarkable it is.

But the simple question of “what is love of gain” soon turns to a subtle but sharp examination of the democratic man—he is timid, shame-based, egalitarian, whose imagination cannot rise above the love of money. Socrates invokes the so-called tyrant, Hipparchus, as an example of the soul turning toward a love of wisdom, bewildering his democratic interlocutor. Yet Plato quietly invites his reader to explore the surprising parallel between the supposed tyrant Hipparchus and Socrates—leading the reader to understand how democratic egalitarianism hates greatness and struggles to distinguish between the two souls who would rise above its leveling effect: the tyrant and the philosopher.

Here is everything you receive in the guide:

1. A 9-page guide (3700+ words)

2. An introductory letter from Dcn. Garlick

3. Detailed outline of the Hipparchus

4. 15 thorough questions on Plato’s Hipparchus

The dialogue is aporetic and leaves the reader without a positive definition of “love of gain.” Yet Socrates’ capacity to beautifully deconstruct common definitions and democratic presuppositions does teach the reader something about “love of gain”—and many of the teachings of the Hipparchus set up the reader for the more mature conversation on these same subjects in the Republic.

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Was St. Thomas Aquinas a Platonist?

Many see Aquinas as a pure Aristotelian. He’s often described as baptizing Aristotle and saving the Church from the errors of Platonism. To wit, Aquinas gave us “Christian Aristotelianism.” But is this accurate?

In this episode of Ascend, Deacon Garlick and Dr. Donald Prudlo explore the complicated relationship between …

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The story of St. Boethius is often untold.

In this episode of the Ascend: The Great Books Podcast, Dcn. Harrison Garlick learns from Dr. Thomas Ward of Baylor University of how Plato influenced St. Boethius—but also how St. Boethius influenced the entire medieval liberal arts tradition.

It is an often forgotten part of how Plato shaped Western civilizatio…

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How did Plato influence St. Augustine?

In this episode of Ascend: The Great Books Podcast, Dcn. Harrison Garlick and Dr. Chad Pecknold of the Catholic University of America discuss Plato's influence (the “books of the Platonists”) on St. Augustine. As an aside, one of the tremendous benefits of this episode is Dr. Pecknold’s quick explanation of the his…

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You can read the Odyssey with Ascend.

One of the greatest texts in the Western canon, Homer’s epic still speaks with a rare power to the subjects that matter most: fidelity, excellence, justice, temptation, and glory all wrapped in a coming-of-age story coupled with a coming home story. It is a timeless tale of masculinity, femininity, and the human condition.

In this twelve-week study, Dcn. Harrison Garlick is joined by an outstanding lineup of scholars and teachers—Dr. Pavlos Papadopoulos and Dr. Glenn Arbery of Wyoming Catholic College, Dr. Frank Grabowski of Holy Family Classical School, Dr. Gregory McBrayer, Dr. Alex Petkas of the Cost of Glory, Dr. Alex Priou, Luke Heintschel, Jack Drury, Thomas Lackey, and Drs. Justin Jackson and Benedict Whalen of Hillsdale College, plus a special conversation with Dr. Patrick Deneen on The American Odyssey—for discussions that move slowly and carefully through the text.

From Telemachus’ urgent coming-of-age and Odysseus’ refusal of immortal pleasure to the great rooted bed and the restoration of order in Ithaca, these witty, learned conversations—full of insight, humor, close readings, and “blood on the floor” interpretive energy—show why Homer remains one of the greatest teachers you’ll ever encounter.

Whether you’re reading the Great Books for the first time, returning with fresh eyes, or guiding a family or classroom, the series (paired with Dcn. Garlick’s 115 Q&A Guide on the Odyssey) will deepen your appreciation and leave you eager for more.

Read the great books and ascend.

1. The Odyssey Book 1 with Dr. Papadopoulos

Dcn. Harrison Garlick is joined by Dr. Pavlos Papadopoulos of Wyoming Catholic College and Dr. Frank Grabowski of Holy Family Classical School to discuss BOOK ONE of the Odyssey—one of the greatest texts in the Western canon. They explore why the epic opens with “man” (not rage, not a god), the meaning of polytropos (“man of twists and turns”), Telemachus’ urgent coming-of-age amid an absent father and predatory suitors, Athena’s masterful mentoring, and Zeus’ striking defense of human responsibility. Dcn. Garlick is using the Fagles’ translation of the Odyssey throughout the 12 week study.

Along the way they discuss Homer’s sophisticated anthropology, the poetic dialectic of Homer the philosopher, the haunting parallels with the House of Atreus, and why this ancient poem still speaks so powerfully to questions of masculinity, homecoming, virtue, and human greatness today.

An absolutely wonderful start to your study of the Odyssey.

2. The Odyssey Books 2-4 with Dr. Grabowski

Dcn. Harrison Garlick and Dr. Frank Grabowski discuss the famous "Telemachy" or the coming of age story of Telemachus, Books 2-4 of the Odyssey. They unpack how Homer paints a vivid picture of political decay: twenty years without an assembly, a missing generation of men, and suitors devouring the household while logos itself loses its force. Yet as Telemachus steps into his father’s seat and sets sail under Athena’s guidance (disguised as Mentor), we witness not only his maturation but a masterclass in what makes a healthy polis. The conversation shines especially when they examine the suitors’ impiety, the beautiful practice of guest-friendship (xenia), and the threefold piety it reveals—toward the gods, the city, and the family.

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Thrasymachus bursts onto the scene “hunched up like a wild beast,” roaring that justice is nothing more than “the advantage of the stronger.” What follows is a masterclass in Platonic drama and pedagogy—complete with forced feedings, blushing, and precision battles over definitions—as Socrates methodically unravels the sophist’s position.

And THANK YOU again to the Classic Learning Test for sponsoring this episode.

Join our slow read-along of Plato’s Republic!

We begin reading this life-changing book on October 6. Check out the full reading schedule here.

Subscribe now

To support our mission and get all our resources, become a paid book club member. In addition to the weekly podcast, you’ll get:

• Live book club discussions with Dcn. Garlick & guest scholars (monthly)

• In-depth reading guides and essays to lead you through the great books

• Access to our incredible community of readers

• The full archive of members-only content (guides, essays, and podcasts)

Dr. McBrayer and Dcn. Garlick explore why this confrontation matters so much. They compare Thrasymachus to the even more ferocious Callicles of the Gorgias (which Dr. McBrayer also discussed with Dcn. Garlick on Ascend) and discuss whether Socrates truly refutes him or merely “out-sophists the sophist.” They also go back and forth on the famous shepherd-and-sheep analogy, the arts-versus-money-making distinction, and the early hints of the philosopher-king and city-soul analogy.

Along the way they surface deeper questions that haunt the rest of the dialogue: Is justice a real thing or merely a name the powerful give to their own advantage? Why does Plato bookend the Republic with religious myths? And how much of Book One is a deliberate deconstruction meant to clear the ground for Glaucon’s more serious challenge in Book Two?

Whether you’re a first-time reader still finding your footing or a returning student who wants to wrestle with one of the most famous attacks on justice in the Western tradition, this conversation models how to read Plato slowly, dramatically, and in good company. Tune in for sharp analysis, unexpected humor, and a clear sense of why Thrasymachus still feels so familiar—and so dangerous—today.

Be sure to check out our entire reading schedule, so you can be sure to read alongside us.

A good path is before us.

Let’s take it and ascend.

Dcn. Harrison Garlick lives in rural Oklahoma with his wife and five children. He serves as a deacon at Holy Family Cathedral and as Chancellor & General Counsel for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tulsa. Follow him on X at Dcn. Garlick or Ascend.

Hierarchy is not a bad word.

Many people equate hierarchy with tyranny—something to be overthrown in the name of autonomy and self-creation.

But for Christians and classical pagans, hierarchy is good and beautiful.

Hierarchy provides the structure by which the soul can flourish in the family, the polis, and the cosmos. Far from being an impediment to freedom, hierarchy sets your soul free.

You were made for hierarchy.

Recovering it is the first step toward a free and beautiful life.

Join our slow read-along of Plato’s Republic!

We begin reading this life-changing book on October 6. Check out the full reading schedule here.

Subscribe now

To support our mission and get all our resources, become a paid book club member. In addition to the weekly podcast, you’ll get:

• Live book club discussions with Dcn. Garlick & guest scholars (monthly)

• In-depth reading guides and essays to lead you through the great books

• Access to our incredible community of readers

• The full archive of members-only content (guides, essays, and podcasts)

You Need Hierarchy in Your Life

Hierarchy is not a bad word. In fact, hierarchy is a distinctly Christian word that was invented by the great theologian and mystic, Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite.1 But too many modern ideologies treat hierarchy as an evil, an artificial imposition of power that must be overthrown. Hierarchy is seen as something tyrannical, something from which modern man must be liberated from in the name of freedom, egalitarianism, and self-creation—but this is a modern fiction.

In truth, hierarchy is good and beautiful.

The classical pagans (e.g., Plato, Aristotle, Cicero), the ancient Hebrews, and the early Christians all saw hierarchy as an authentic expression of reality. Hierarchy is about harmony, proportion, and perfection. It is an expression of justice where each part fulfills its purpose (telos) as part of a greater whole. The higher perfects the lower, and the lower contributes to the perfection of the higher. It gives meaning and structure to words like freedom, authority, and peace.2

Without hierarchy, disorder enters. The whole falls into chaos. Many times hierarchy is torn down in the name of freedom (a Luciferian freedom), only to then leave people enslaved to their own bestial desires (remember, the greatest threat to your freedom is you).

You need hierarchy. Every part of your life was designed for hierarchy.

Let’s take a quick glance at hierarchy in the soul, in the family, in the polis, and in the cosmos.

What Is Authority?

But first, what exactly is hierarchy? To modern ears, it normally reeks of domination and force—but this comes from a misunderstanding of the concept of authority. Moderns, especially after Thomas Hobbes, tend to see any type of authority of one person over another as a form of dominance. It is the subordination, often violent, of one will over the other. In other words, the modern myth is that man is completely equal in all ways, a perfect egalitarianism; thus, introducing hierarchy into that radical equality is always a curbing of someone’s self-creation. Authority is at best a necessary evil, but it remains something that always grates against the autonomy and individualism of modern man.

But this view is not the view of the Bible or the classical pagans.

Authority is not a dominance but an act of care and perfection. One who has authority over the other is charged with their good and cultivating in them that which is excellent. If someone has authority over the other it is the responsibility of the one in authority to help those under his or her care to fulfill their purpose.

Think of a garden and a gardener. The gardener is charged with the good of the garden, but this is not done by force or dominance. If so, the garden will wilt and die; rather, the gardener must know what makes each plant grow and provide that which is good for the plant to flourish.

It is this ancient concept of authority that informs the hierarchy of the soul, the family, the polis, and the cosmos. Again, one of the significant dangers of the modern era is that it uses the grammar of classic pagans and of Christianity and guts it of its original meaning—filling it back in when a definition saturated in modern ideologies that, after awhile, simply become normative.3

You must reclaim your grammar to reclaim your intellect.

Hierarchy in the Soul

Soulcraft comes first. You must have a beautiful soul, and the beauty of the soul is accomplished by establishing and maintaining a proper hierarchy within it. Plato, through his characters, will speak of this mainly in the grammar of justice—for it is the virtue of justice that harmonizes the parts of a whole and has them fulfill their purpose (telos).

In sum, the soul has three parts that exist in hierarchy: the intellect that loves truth, the spirited part that loves nobility, and the appetitive that loves pleasure. These loves must remain ordered. The intellect governs with the assistance of the spirited, keeping the appetitive in check. When the appetitive seizes control, the soul is inverted—desire for truth is shoved to the bottom and the desire for pleasure climbs to the top. As Socrates tells us, this is the life of a cow—a life with your head down, never looking at the stars, but focused on food and sex.

The hierarchy of the soul is maintained by virtue: prudence perfects the intellect, courage the spirited, temperance the appetitive, and justice binds them into a beautiful harmony. Virtue is a sign of health, order, and beauty in the soul.

Notice that the well-ordered soul, the soul in hierarchical order, is one that flourishing.

Would the soul be better if it was egalitarian? Would it better if it allowed the intellect and the appetitive to share leadership of the soul equally? Or maybe the intellect and the appetitive should share “power” by rotating who governs. Maybe the parts of the soul should vote to see who should lead? No, this all seems comical and a clear invitation to disorder and vice—but it is exactly what we do to the hierarchies of the family, the polis, and even religion.

Your life will flourish in obedience to hierarchy.

But first, you have to be able to wipe away the modern unrealities and recover the hidden hierarchies of everyday life.

In this, you can flourish and ascend.

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