Politics

​So that all will show neglect equally. Furthermore, in this way each person says “mine” of whichever citizen is doing well or ill, depending on what number he happens to be, saying for example “mine” or “so-and-so’s,” speaking in this manner of each of the thousand, or of however many the city consists of, and doing this with doubt; for it is unclear to whom a child happened to be born and, once born, to have survived. And yet, is it better for each to say “mine” in this way, addressing the same person as “mine” among two thousand or ten thousand, or rather as they now say “mine” in the cities? For one calls the same person his own son, another his brother, another his cousin, or according to some other blood relationship, or according to some affinity and marriage connection of himself first or of his relatives, and besides these, another calls him a clansman or tribesman. For it is better to be a cousin in one’s own right than a son in this fashion. Nevertheless, it is not even possible to avoid some people supposing certain others to be their brothers, children, fathers, and mothers; for because of the resemblances that occur in children to their parents, they must inevitably form their beliefs about one another. This is what some of those who write accounts of travels around the earth say actually happens; for they say that among some of the upper Libyans wives are held in common, but the children born are distributed according to their resemblances. And there are also some women, and females of other animals, such as horses and cattle, which by nature produce offspring extremely like their parents, as did the mare called “Just” in Pharsalus. Furthermore, it is not easy for those establishing this community to guard against such difficulties as assaults, involuntary or voluntary homicides, and fights and slanders; none of which is it holy to commit against fathers, mothers, and those not far removed in kinship, as it is against those who are far off; and these things must happen more often when people are ignorant of them than when they know them, and when they do happen, if they are known, it is possible for the customary expiations to be made, but if they are not known, none is possible. It is also absurd that, after making sons common, they only forbid lovers from sexual intercourse, but do not prevent loving, nor the other practices which of all are most unseemly between father and son, and brother and brother, since even loving alone is so. It is also absurd to forbid sexual intercourse for no other reason than that the pleasure is too strong, while thinking that it makes no difference that one is father or son, or that they are brothers of one another. And having wives and children in common seems to be more useful for the farmers than for the guardians.