I am made of gold

Socrates is apparently a proponent of a meritocracy. I, as a military officer, am made of gold, as the gods have certainly decreed. My subordinates, of silver. And pretty much everyone else is of brass and iron. Socrates notes that parents usually beget children of the same 'worth' as them, but sometimes children may move upwards or downwards, and that is not to be challenged. A rather enlightened view, I think. Somehow, this view is reconciled a few sentences later with a healthy does of xenophobia. Preserving the purity of the race is not exactly the most global outlook, but in his line of reasoning it fits well.

We also today reached the true definition of justice, one of four virtues alongside wisdom, courage, and temperance. That city analogy proved fruitful. Justice is every man doing what his is own, and refusing that which is not his own. The paradox of whether it is more profitable to be just or injust, is still to be solved.

Hobbes finished his reply to Cardinal Bellarmine's Disputations. I hesitate to read that defense of papal power - it's probably very long and very dry. Perhaps someday. Not much new to report on the subject. Basically, civil sovereigns are of the same rank as the Pope, in their possession of temporal power. And if the Pope does not have a kingdom, the Pope is subordinate to the 'Sovereign Pastor'. I wonder what Hobbes would think of the Vatican today, and whether it counts as a kingdom. Seeing as the Vatican guards are Swiss, I'm sure that would entail a nice tangling of sovereign allegiances.

Watched a TED video on the spread of cholera in 1854 London. It was in that year that the city decided to head off cholera by dumping raw sewage in the Thames. Great idea. However, that led to enough concentrated cholera cases that one enterprising young man discovered how cholera was spread, and London has since been cholera-free. This emphasis on clean water and disease theory allowed cities to become the enormous population centers they are today. Though I'm not sure how well cities like Lagos have internalized those lessons.

Finally, doctor in Catholic theology means teacher, from the Latin docere. See why I want to learn Latin? I wonder what the etymology of the word as we use it today is. A mystery for another night, perhaps.