In Book IV of the Republic, Socrates tells the story of a man who, on his way to town, saw some dead bodies that had been left on the ground after having been executed. He was torn because he both wanted to look at them, yet he also was horrified and repulsed by the scene. He tried to keep his eyes closed as he got near, but he could not resist the temptation and gawked at the sight anyway, ended up disgusted with himself. What point is Socrates illustrating with this story?

Socrates employs this story in order to illustrate the opposing forces that might exist within a person's mind. In this example, Socrates talks about the story of a man who has two conflicting feelings within himself. On the one hand, the man feels tempted to look at a horrible sight. On the other hand, the man feels disgusted when he does so. This example illiustrates how our desires can sometimes be difficult to reconcile with each other.