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We argue that Plato's Republic offers a more thoroughgoing critique of political violence than is acknowledged by the standard, just war interpretation. Central to our analysis is the Socratic claim that 'nothing forced (biaios) stays with the soul' (536e4). This rejection of violence might be interpreted as ironic or limited in scope. In order to vindicate its seriousness, we connect the rejection to other central doctrines in the text, including the psychology of the divided soul. In order to maintain the breadth of its scope, we point to guiding principles of philosophic rule and philosophic citizenship that support a rejection of political violence. We refer to our cumulative findings as the pacifism in Plato's Republic.
