of the king Euristeo along twelve years. He imposes him hardly realizable tasks, which do not depend on a culturally apprehended technique as in the work of Hesiod, but of cunning and force. The “works” or feats of Herakles are: strangulating Nemea´s lion, killing Lerna´s hydra, capturing Cerinea´s doe, capturing alive Erimanto´s boar, cleaning Augias´ barn in only one day, killing Estinfalo´s brids with arrow shots, taming Creta´s bull, stealing Diomedes´ mares, stealing Hypolite belt, stealing Gerion´s cattle, stealing the golden apples of Hesperides garden, raping Cerbero dog and showing it to his brother king. They are twelve but only ten prowess because he was payed for one of them and the other was considered to be done by the rivers. It is noteworthy that the retribution for the labour or tour de force provokes the cancellation of it as such, as also its not authorship. Payment and non authorship destitute the honour of the feat, which more than a work is a heroic task or exploit. It is also observable that in this sense no contemporary task, inasmuch as it is profitable, would be considered as work. The Greek term used for these works is ponos, related to the mentioned god, and it is linked to the tragic conception of the heroe (59), making reference to the grief or atonement (60), and it implies the painful effort of it in actions which escape the common measure (61).
Specifically regarding Plato, I wish to quote the observation of H. Syse, who states that it is in the Republic and the Laws “where war... is directly taken... rearing so good soldiers” (62). That is to say, these dialogues offer a comprehension regarding war and its relative, peace. He continues saying that “War and human conflicts are central topics in the Republic”, being the terms polemos (war) and stasis (agitación) used more often than Eirene (peace). The preparation for the war in the ideal city is referred to the moral character and the justice founded in harmony, but mainly to the tripartition of state and soul (philosophers or kings, soldiers, artisans according to the rational, irascible and concupiscible parts of the soul) (63).
Contextually, it is necessary to observe that the Greeks spoke of war in terms of good or just war and incorrect or unjust war, being the nature of the antique Greek society founded upon the notion of justice; nevertheless, it is surprising that it had not been fully articulated the idea of Just War (64).
According to Plato, war is an inevitable consequence of greed, producing public and private harms. The search of luxury and goods is an ever increasing desire which leads to war: it is a damaging impulse that originates war. The accumulation of goods is implicit in it and it is not laudable. This leads to think in the irascible part of the soul, which makes one acting bravely without subsuming the action under reason, without containing reflexion and wisdom. Because of this, in these cases, the irascible part only wants satisfaction of its desires. Plato concludes that the soldiers must educate their concupiscence , fortify it. Militars must be educated in this sense. Prudence and courage must allow them to know when the should fight, to be considered, gentle with who are not to be fought. In this sense, the best kings are those who remain excellent regarding philosophy and war. And this appears to be real when the right ideals are taught.
The brutality of war must be at the service of the wisdom of the philosophers.
The ferocity of the cruel war must be maintained dominating the desires, in a military ethic, at the service of justice. This supposes the control of concupiscence and its excesses as also the intention of noble deeds, with the help of reason; and even the training of the spirit. Due to this, the city is found upon education (paideia). Hence, one must not be delighted in death and brutality. On the other hand, the accumulation of goods is not loable, and this is implied in war. The sole satisfaction of desires, which allows to act bravely, must be done under reason (66). The irascibility of the soldiers must be moderated as courage and temperance. Because of this, Plato notes, the rulers are those who know about philosophy and war, allowing through a good education a military ethic (66). The soul must be rightly exercised, being true soldiers those who act according to reason (67).
A perpetual peace involves the knowledge of the Good, founding of Justice.
In the Book V of the Republic, Plato refers to the laws of the military code which determines the conduct in war. Pillage and havoc must be avoided; only the responsible of a conflict must be considered and chastised as enemies; it must not be enslaved or killed a defeated population; the battle must be effected in a just way and mutually acceptable for peace so that the war does not continue indefinitely. Because of this, the military objective must not be divorced from moral virtue (68). In this sense, the Laws consider that war must serve peace (and, in Aristotle continues this way of thinking which will gravitate in Occident) (69).
It is interesting the observation of Tristan Husby regarding this problem:
“Plato reunites war and justice through his psychology. He, like Thucydides, saw human nature as the primary cause of war. But unlike Thucydides argued that this aggressiveness, thumos, could be controlled, fostered and limited. Limited because otherwise it would destroy the polis, fostered because without it the polis would be conquered... War is primarily necessary to insure that the polis remains independent...” (70).
Because of what has been said, the importance of war in the state-city is reflected in the Republic as a necessary activity within the ideal and completely just society (71).
Nevertheless, it is important to remember that according to Plato “el justo no debe hacer mal a nadie”(72); that is to say, prudence and goodness must direct the just soul (73). Because of this, peace being a politically considered pact to cease war, is also the harmonious conduct of the three parts of the soul, ruled by the reason which permits justice, founded in the idea of Good. From this derived in Western culture not only the idea of Just War, as I already observed. It generated a spiritualist stream of inward tranquillity and peace of mind, generally related to the divine. This last current will be of extreme importance in Middle Ages, and also in Christian religion.
Aristotle develops the platonic concepts from a critical point of view. Virtue and politics will be tightly related, so that the Nichomachean Ethic states that the morality lies upon the social activity of man. In this perspective, war is natural instrument or mean for peace and freedom.
There are three notions to be considered in order to understand war in Aristotle: slavery as a natural state, just war, the necessity of war for peace as the material work for the contemplative leisure (74).
Equality and democracy are not universal in Aristotle´s philosophy. They refer specifically to the free man and the landlord. Woman is submitted to him (75). And some human beings are by nature instruments or tools to the service of handwork and the physical effort, and they are a belonging or property of the free man (76). Their tasks are negligible regarding the political activities and the contemplative leisure of the citizens of the polis. Aristotle says in the Politics: “Therefore that there are cases of people of whom some are free men and others slaves by nature, and for this slavery is an institution expedient and just”(77).
From this viewpoint, peace is relative to war, as work is the opportunity for leisure. In this time, the hard manual work was done by the slaves, meanwhile the war assured the independence of the city state and its tranquillity. Leisure belonged to the free citizen and, according to Aristotle, he must dedicate himself to contemplation and then to politics, since the former was the highest activity which springs from the autarchy and the absence of fatigue; the happy man lives through contemplation a happy live in a divine mode (78).
This kind of comprehension has been already considered in the work of Plato, a worldview which will orientate the personal and social order for more than the Middle Ages (79). Even more, according to Aristotle, the barbarians are not rectors by nature, and , because of this, they must be submitted: war is necessary (80).
The true, free man, being contemplative, practises the virtue of wisdom, the excellence of being human, the arete, The peace of the ethic and dianoethic must be exercised in politics as philosophy, according to the right use of reason (81) , impossible activities
