Republic: Book IX Summary

The tyrannical man—that is, the man who resembles the tyrannical state—is characterized by a total lack of any check on his desires. While the democratic man is free and liberal in fulfilling his own desires, there are certain deep and perverse desires which he would not conceive of carrying out, such as committing incest or killing one's parents. However, the tyrannical soul has no such limits and will freely do whatever desires come into his mind. The tyrannical man, then, becomes the least free of all types, since he has no power in resisting the desires which present themselves to him and, in carrying out those desires, he also alienates from himself all of society. The tyrant is miserable, but the most miserable of all men is the tyrant who is able to gain control...