Do Philosophers Deserve Free Meals for Life?

In Plato’s Apology, Socrates, already having been convicted of the crimes of which he was accused—corrupting the youth of Athens and disbelieving in the gods of the state—makes a rather audacious statement that he deserves free meals and lodging in the Prytaneum, a privilege extended to Olympic champions, in lieu of execution:

Socrates: What would be a reward suitable to a poor man who is your benefactor, and who desires leisure that he may instruct you? There can be no reward so fitting as maintenance in the Prytaneum, O men of Athens, a reward which he deserves far more than the citizen who has won the prize at Olympia in the horse or chariot race, whether the chariots were drawn by two horses or by many. For I am in want, and he has enough; and he only gives you the appearance of happiness, and I give you the reality. And if I am to estimate the penalty fairly, I should say that maintenance in the Prytaneum is the just return. (Plato, Apology)

Needless to say, Socrates’s suggestion that he forgo execution in favor of being supported by the state for his service to the public good as a philosopher did not go over well with the jury, who subsequently held that Socrates should be put to death by hemlock.

What do we make of this claim by Socrates, that those who are in true service to the state should be justly rewarded by the state with food and lodging so that they may continue to serve the state in a life of leisure, free to teach and to benefit the citizens by using philosophy to draw attention to real justice and wisdom while helping those in positions of power see that they do now really know or understand the things they claim to know? According to Socrates, such noble and pure motives deserve the highest reward society can offer, which for him meant support to continue to pursue philosophy and to be a self-proclaimed gadfly, a kind of nuisance or wake-up call, to the people of Athens for their own benefit.

In some sense, this is arguably already how professional statesmen today view their own roles and how they support themselves. Career politicians today are supposed to be serving the public good, and they receive support from the state in the form of a paycheck and, in the case of some politicians, such as the President of the United States, for example, financial support and other protective services for life. Undoubtedly the motivations of many politicians are less than pure, often driven by ambition as much as by the greater good. Why, then, should philosophers, who do genuinely have the best interests of the state and of their fellow citizens in mind as they pursue their craft as philosophers, receive any lesser a benefit from the state as our highest-level career politicians receive?

Socrates’s claim that he deserves financial support for life instead of execution did not make friends among members of his 501-member jury, many of whom would likely have extended leniency if Socrates had shown some remorse after having been found guilty. Yet, Socrates could not bring himself to apologize for his actions as a philosopher, in the modern sense of the word “apologize,” in good conscience. Instead he gave a passionate defense, an apologia (ἀπολογία) in Greek, of his motivations and actions as a philosopher, being motivated only by the endless and relentless search for truth, the nature of justice, and the health of the souls of the people of Athens. Although Socrates was certainly poking the proverbial dragon in making such a bold claim (it would be naive to pretend otherwise), it also seems likely that he really did believe that the noble cause of the philosopher deserves the finest treatment by the state with rewards and privileges normally extended only to Olympic champions.

Needless to say, Socrates’s 501-person jury was not impressed with Socrates’s suggestion that he deserved free meals for life, an honor extended to Olympic champions, in lieu of execution.

I cannot help but sympathize with Socrates’s claim, no matter what we may think of Socrates’s motivations in being so audacious with the jury after having been found guilty. And it’s likely that every philosopher that’s ever lived, both before and after Socrates, has felt that he or she deserves not to have to worry about the practical matters of food and shelter for pursuing such a lofty goal of truth and justice for their own sake. And yet, we philosophers often find ourselves scraping by, working as part-time adjunct instructors, being freeway fliers driving from college to college to college, underpaid for the role we play in shaping the minds of the students whose lives we toil away to enrich, day in and day out, desperately trying to hold on to the purity of our identity in philosophers as we leave the academic world for corporate jobs in the private sector, becoming Judas for the sake of a bit more security in this earthly existence while longing with all our beings to use our craft as philosophers to better the lives and souls of everyone around us, and to build a truly just and noble society in the process. Why do we deserve such poor treatment from the state and from society as a whole any more than Socrates deserved to drink the hemlock or any less than Socrates deserved to be rewarded with free meals and lodging in the Prytaneum as payment for his service to the people and state of Athens?

It is beautiful, and a bit sad, to think of all the things I could write, the discoveries and new philosophical concepts I could create, and the public good I could do as a philosopher if I no longer had to worry about practical matters of food, shelter, or other needs more or less mentionable. Instead of worrying about one’s rate of pay as an instructor with a state-sanctioned curriculum, how grand it would be to give the boldest and most ambitious speculative lectures in philosophy with no fear of the impact it would have on my teaching career or my ability to support myself. Instead of worrying about corporate layoffs, I could be free to go where my mind wills, pushing the boundaries of the possibilities of human consciousness and intellectual achievement. Instead of spending my time job-searching and being a huckster selling myself to some corporate recruiter or hiring manager, I could dive into the issues of the day and do my part to build a better world for us all. But this is not how we view or treat philosophers, even today, nearly 2,500 years after the trial and death of Socrates and arguably still not having learned the lessons that Socrates was trying to teach us about the value of philosophy in general, or the philosophers who practice it, for society as a whole.

So if anyone chooses to become my intellectual patron, the state or some wealthy individual with a lofty vision about what philosophers can do for the common good, I will gladly accept free meals in exchange for my very best effort to promote the greater intellectual and practical good for our society and world via my chosen craft, a life hitherto filled with much nobility and purity of motivation but little reward, little glory, and much financial uncertainty. We support our politicians with these very rewards, a reliable salary and little worry, but with arguably less return on the investment, and often at the cost of the very nobility of the state, the purity of motivation, and the quest for justice that politicians are intended to pursue.

Perhaps one day we will learn the lesson of Socrates, but not today, for I have to return to my job search at the moment, to slave away and earn a buck, to buy a meal and keep a roof over my head. Oh the things I could have written today, and the public good I could have done!

For Further Reading:

The Last Days of Socrates (Euthyphro, Apology, Crito, Phaedo) by Plato