MAN AND SUPERMAN

At first sight, it may seem rather odd to claim that Callicles is an example of thumoeidic tendencies gone astray; it may seem more plausible to view him as a forerunner, not of the thumos, but of the pleasure-seeking epithumētikon. After all, from 491e to 492c Plato puts into his mouth what appears to be one of the most forceful exhortations to hedonism ever made. The man who would live rightly, Callicles asserts,

One might imagine that a life devoted to such relentless sybaritic indulgence could hold little time for the thumoeidic pursuit of worldly success and honours. Yet at 484d Callicles makes it plain that a man should aspire to be a well-respected kalos k'agathos, and to this end should emulate men who possess wealth and reputation (486c–d) – a remark which is significant not only for the content of its ideal, but also because it shows that he is interested in ideals and role models in the first place. His chosen route, furthermore, is the energy-consuming one of politics: at 515a we are told that he has just embarked on a political career, and at 481d that he is in love with the Athenian dēmos.