Liber III, Pars I — Quomodo Philosophus Phaleas statuit civitatem ordinandam esse. Cap. XVI.

Liber III, Pars I — Quomodo Philosophus Phaleas statuit civitatem ordinandam esse. Cap. XVI.

Besides Socrates and Plato, another philosopher named Phaleas is mentioned. He introduced ideas about the organization of the state, determining how the best government could be established. He said that among other things, a legislator and ruler of the state should consider how citizens can have equal possessions. He wanted the city to be well-ordered, so that no citizen would have more income or greater possessions than another. He argued that this could be easily achieved when the city is established, as the number of citizens and the amount of land are known, allowing the ruler to divide possessions equally among the citizens. However, once the city is established and the citizens have unequal possessions, it becomes much harder to restore equality. Phaleas proposed that the ruler could reduce this inequality to equality by establishing a system where the poor would contract with the rich, receiving gifts without having to give anything in return, thus allowing them to equalize their possessions. Phaleas could be motivated to establish this in three ways. First, he could be moved to ensure that disputes would cease. Second, to remove injuries and insults. Third, based on what he observed in other cities. The first way is clear. For citizens are very contentious over possessions: they are also excessively eager to acquire income and property; hence, many disputes arise because of this. Therefore, if citizens had equal possessions and knew they could not exceed their neighbors in property, they would not rise up in vain over disputes and lawsuits. For if one of the litigants were to win the case, he would not gain much from it, because he would have to be equalized with others in property through the giving of dowries. Thus, even losing a case, he would not lose much, because by accepting dowries, he would be equalized with others in wealth. It would seem that disputes would completely cease if the citizens had equal possessions. The second way is taken to remove injuries and insults from the city. For it is because citizens willingly appropriate possessions for themselves, saying, 'This is mine,' that not only do disputes and lawsuits arise, but also injuries and insults. For in acquiring possessions, citizens inflict injuries and insults upon one another personally. However, in the city, thefts, robberies, and murders occur because of the desire to possess wealth. Therefore, if citizens could not excel over one another in possessions and had equal wealth, it seems that all these things would cease. The third way is taken from what he observed in other cities. In many well-ordered states, there was great concern among lawmakers about the property of citizens; therefore, Phaleas, seeing what he observed in other states, decided that it was essential to take care of the citizens' possessions, wanting them to have equal property.