Generalship courage and the need for good fortune

Use in the book

Generalship is called the greatest help and help for the most things, and is most esteemed for usefulness (975e). This unusually strong concession gives the exclusion weight. The speech is not choosing an obviously worthless occupation as an easy foil; it addresses an expertise of high civic consequence.

Its need for the greatest good fortune weakens its claim to wisdom. Its endowment is attributed by nature to courage rather than wisdom (975e–976a). The contrast does not make courage bad. At 977c–d courage and temperance are expressly allowed even where the full reason required by wisdom is missing. The general's capacity can therefore be valuable without being the knowledge that completes virtue.

The ensuing judgment that the practices are carried along without measure and conjectured through opinions appears after medicine and covers the immediately discussed help-giving fields. It supplies an epistemic criticism beside the appeal to fortune. A lexicon should not quietly project a detailed empirical theory of warfare into these few clauses; no campaign or named commander is examined.

Fortune returns in the positive numerical account with a different role. The giver of number is said to be a god rather than some fortune (976e), while “by happy fortune” appears in the difficult calendrical account (979a). The dialogue thus does not expunge the word tychē from every favorable explanation. It prefers divine intelligent provision as the ground of number, while retaining ordinary evaluative idioms of favorable outcome. The later fallback of calling on fortune when studies are handled otherwise (992a) again marks the difference between systematic understanding and dependence on chance.

Places to read

1. 975eπολεμικὴ κληθεῖσα, στρατηγικὴ τέχνη — War and the general's craft name the leading helper
2. 975eεὐτυχίας πλείστης δεομένη — Its effectiveness needs the greatest good fortune
3. 975e–976aμᾶλλον δὲ ἀνδρείᾳ κατὰ φύσιν ἢ σοφίᾳ δεδομένη — Natural courage is distinguished from wisdom
4. 976aἄμετρα γὰρ δόξαις φορεῖται τοπαζόμενα — The criticism concerns conjecture by opinions without measure
5. 976eθεὸν … μᾶλλον ἤ τινα τύχην — The source of number is preferred as divine rather than chance

Translation in this edition

“The general's craft” makes stratēgikē concrete without substituting a modern system of military science. The translation distinguishes “good fortune” from “fortune,” and preserves “rather than,” which compares courage and wisdom without simply denying the general every intellectual capacity.

Natural military capacity — ἀνδρεία (andreia)

ἀνδρεία (andreia)

Natural military capacity. Generalship is given by nature more to courage than to wisdom. The contrast does not declare courage bad. Attested: ἀνδρείᾳ (975e–976a). Generalship courage and the need for good fortune.

Reputation tied to usefulness — εὐδόκιμος (eudokimos)

εὐδόκιμος (eudokimos)

Reputation tied to usefulness. The superlative describes the general’s craft as most esteemed for use, distinguishing practical standing from truest wisdom. Attested: εὐδοκιμωτάτη (975e). Generalship courage and the need for good fortune.

Rejected ultimate explanation — τύχη (tychē)

τύχη (tychē)

Rejected ultimate explanation. The Athenian prefers a god to some fortune as the giver of number and preserver of humans. Attested: τύχην (976e). Generalship courage and the need for good fortune.

Useful expertise with external dependencies — στρατηγικός (stratēgikos)

στρατηγικός (stratēgikos)

Useful expertise with external dependencies. The general’s art is highly useful but needs abundant good fortune and is attributed more to natural courage than to wisdom. Attested: στρατηγικὴ (975e). Generalship courage and the need for good fortune.

Military dependence — εὐτυχία (eutychia)

εὐτυχία (eutychia)

Military dependence. The greatest good fortune is required by generalship, limiting the claim that the expertise alone controls its successful result. Attested: εὐτυχίας (975e). Generalship courage and the need for good fortune.

Military assistance — πολεμικός (polemikos)

πολεμικός (polemikos)

Military assistance. The feminine adjective identifies the art of war as the greatest and most widely applicable help before the more specific name generalship. Attested: πολεμικὴ (975e). Generalship courage and the need for good fortune.

More courage than wisdom (contextual phrase)

μᾶλλον δὲ ἀνδρείᾳ κατὰ φύσιν ἢ σοφίᾳ δεδομένη (975e–976a)

The paired datives and comparative construction attribute the general’s craft more to natural courage than to wisdom. The phrase does not condemn courage; the later partial-virtue concession explicitly leaves it possible without full reason. It challenges the inference from military capacity to complete intellectual excellence. Generalship courage and the need for good fortune.