371:, elucidated Juvenal's continued relevance: “Crucial remains the conviction that the government should serve the people and that its powers must be circumscribed by a Constitution and the rule of law. Juvenal's question quis custodiet ipsos custodes (who guards the guardians?) remains a central concern of democracy, since the people must always watch over the constitutional behaviour of the leaders and impeach them if they act in contravention of their duties. Constitutional courts must fulfil this need and civil society should show solidarity with human rights defenders and whistleblowers who, far from being unpatriotic, perform a democratic service to their countries and the world.”
251:
194:) containing 34 lines which some believe to have been omitted from other texts of Juvenal's poem. The debate on this manuscript is ongoing, but even if the verses are not by Juvenal, it is likely that it preserves the original context of the phrase. If so, the original context is as follows (O 29–33):
359:
The issue of the accountability of political power, traced back to different passages of the Old and New
Testaments, received great attention in medieval and early modern Christian thought, especially in connection with the exercise of authority in the Church and in church-state relations. In the
368:
397:, but the phrase is never seen in its entirety. Moore stated in an interview that the title of the series related directly to this question, although at the time of the interview Moore did not know where the sentence originated.
498:
season four, Democratic political strategist Nate
Sofrelli asks this question of Siobhan Roy when she informs him of her plans for election night at the headquarters of the American Television Network (ATN).
300:
though was hardly ever referenced by classical Latin authors like
Juvenal, and it has been noted that it simply disappeared from literary awareness for a thousand years except for traces in the writings of
265:
This phrase is used generally to consider the embodiment of the philosophical question as to how power can be held to account. It is sometimes incorrectly attributed as a direct quotation from
687:
How then may we devise one of those needful falsehoods of which we lately spoke – just one royal lie which may deceive the rulers, if that be possible, and at any rate the rest of the city?
336:
in Greek). Socrates's answer to the problem is, in essence, that the guardians will be manipulated to guard themselves against themselves via a deception often called the "
503:
702:(ΠΟΛΙΤΕΙΑ), with an English translation by Paul Shorey, London, William Heinemann Ltd.; New York: G. P. Putnam's sons, 1930, as cited by Leonid Hurwicz, "
292:
473:, the phrase is handwritten on a floor support near the staircase as Batman carries a weakened Superman over his shoulder at the climax of their duel.
345:
455:
involving a group of anthropologists who are observing a primitive culture from a concealed location, but are revealed following an accident.
527:
125:
and overreach, in context within
Juvenal's poem it refers to the impossibility of enforcing moral behaviour on women when the enforcers (
87:. It is not clear whether the phrase was written by Juvenal, or whether the passage in which it appears was interpolated into his works.
640:
469:
77:, though the phrase is now commonly used more generally to refer to the problem of controlling the actions of persons in positions of
424:, though very briefly, with the line "I do". When asked who watches over him, he follows it up with "I do, too". It also appears in
464:, in another sequence, a rioter protesting masked vigilantes is shown to be carrying a sign that says "WHO WATCHES THE WATCHMEN?".
917:
360:
Protestant tradition it also animated the debate about who was to be the final arbiter in the interpretation of the
Scriptures.
451:
458:"Who watches the watchmen?" is spray painted on a Electronics store window at the end of the opening sequence in the film
805:
175:
446:
35:
481:
415:
364:
380:
The question "Who watches the watchmen?" often partially appears as graffiti scrawled in the background of
494:
432:
259:
49:
598:
E.g. T. Besley and J.A. Robinson, "Quis
Custodiet Ipsos Custodes? Civilian Control over the Military",
426:
271:
179:
536:
references this phrase in part, and contains lyrics that critique corruption and the abuse of power.
369:
United
Nations Independent Expert on the Promotion of a Democratic and Equitable International Order
286:
Several 19th-century examples of the association with Plato can be found, often dropping "ipsos".
824:"Succession's Election Day Episode Weighed the Real-World Consequences of the Roys' Machinations"
703:
823:
893:
682:
617:
549:
314:
110:. Although in its modern usage the phrase has wide-reaching applications to concepts such as
54:
760:
254:"Quis custodiet ipsos custodes" written (misspelling "custodiet" as "custdiet") on a wall in
17:
898:
321:
287:
255:
83:
74:
841:
678:
533:
489:
459:
438:
401:
78:
863:
672:
519:
with a chorus that contains the lyrics "Who guards the guards? Who polices the police?".
283:' concerns about the guardians, the solution to which is to properly train their souls.
356:, even goes so far as to say "it would be absurd that a guardian should need a guard."
341:
183:
911:
778:
554:
512:
389:
306:
313:, a putatively perfect society is described by Socrates, the main character in this
411:
385:
118:
104:
886:
698:
Book III, XII, 403E, p. 264 (Greek) and p. 265 (English), in volume I, of Plato,
604:
The Fair
Society: The Science of Human Nature and the Pursuit of Social Justice,,
275:
in both popular media and academic contexts. There is no exact parallel in the
381:
122:
114:
508:
406:
337:
130:
585:
Recently J. D. Sosin 2000, "Ausonius' Juvenal and the
Winstedt fragment",
393:
280:
904:(translation by G. G. Ramsay) at the Internet Ancient History Sourcebook
353:
59:
442:
from a citizen, also addressed to Vimes, as: "Quis custodiet custard?"
302:
111:
107:
58:(Satire VI, lines 347–348), a work of the 1st–2nd century Roman poet
332:
are often interpreted as being parallel to the
Platonic guardians (
706:", Nobel Prize Lecture, December 8, 2007, Accessed April 27, 2011.
420:
266:
250:
249:
96:
589:
95.2: 199–206 has argued for an early date for the poem.
196:
135:
237:
secrets and get her as their payment; everyone hushes it up.
178:
inserted into the text. In 1899 an undergraduate student at
748:
Vincent of LĂ©rins and the Development of Christian Doctrine
761:
https://ap.ohchr.org/documents/dpage_e.aspx?si=A/HRC/24/38
681:, transl; EBook produced by Sue Asscher and David Widger.
806:"The Watchmen Reference You Missed In Batman V Superman"
645:. London: Longmans, Green, Reader, and Dyer. p. 39.
73:
The original context deals with the problem of ensuring
363:In his 2013 report to the UN Human Rights Council,
296:(1861), though without reference to Plato. Plato's
225:
the plan that my friends always advise me to adopt:
30:"Who watches the watchers" redirects here. For the
779:http://www.capnwacky.com/rj/watchmen/chapter1.html
550:Police misconduct § Video and audio recording
572:E. O. Winstedt 1899, "A Bodleian MS of Juvenal",
344:pointed out in his 2007 lecture on accepting the
539:It appears in Frank Herbert’s Heretics of Dune.
504:For How Much Longer Do We Tolerate Mass Murder?
622:Gentleman's Magazine, and Historical Chronicle
279:, but it is used by modern authors to express
174:Modern editors regard these three lines as an
660:. Atlantic Publishers & Dist. p. 10.
618:"Moral and Religious Estimate of Vivisection"
204:consilia et ueteres quaecumque monetis amici,
157:I hear always the admonishment of my friends:
8:
600:Journal of the European Economic Association
293:Considerations on Representative Government
216:hac mercede silent crimen commune tacetur.
166:The wife plans ahead and begins with them.
42:
718:The Song of Songs in the Early Middle Ages
606:University of Chicago Press, p. 146, 2011.
602:v. 8, pp. 655–663, 2010; and P. Corning,
348:, one of Socrates's interlocutors in the
346:Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences
735:. Indiana University Press. p. 150.
733:Semiotics and the Philosophy of Language
186:, discovered a manuscript (now known as
95:The phrase, as it is normally quoted in
791:Plowright, Frank. "Preview: Watchmen".
565:
324:class to protect that society, and the
141:Audio quid ueteres olim moneatis amici,
81:, an issue discussed by Plato in the
64:Who will guard the guards themselves?
7:
150:Cauta est et ab illis incipit uxor.
470:Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
227:"Bolt her in, constrain her!" But
25:
704:But Who Will Guard the Guardians?
485:, makes reference to the saying.
235:They keep quiet about the girl's
103:of Juvenal, the 1st–2nd century
410:novels, usually heard from Sir
214:qui nunc lasciuae furta puellae
865:Nuclear Assault – Quocustodiat
750:. Baker Academic. p. 119.
532:by American thrash metal band
452:Star Trek: The Next Generation
147:quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
44:Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
32:Star Trek: The Next Generation
1:
642:An Essay on the Platonic Idea
163:who will guard the guardians?
159:"Bolt her in, constrain her!"
18:Quis custodiet ipsos custodes
658:Comprehensive Study of Plato
246:Reference to political power
117:, uncontrollably oppressive
68:Who will watch the watchmen?
746:Guarino, Thomas G. (2013).
206:"pone seram, cohibes." sed
62:. It may be translated as "
934:
29:
720:. Brill. pp. 117–38.
716:Matis, Hannah W. (2019).
492:," the eighth episode of
400:It appears frequently in
121:, and police or judicial
639:Maguire, Thomas (1866).
447:Who Watches the Watchers
200:
139:
36:Who Watches the Watchers
918:Latin words and phrases
482:Space: Above and Beyond
365:Alfred-Maurice de Zayas
774:The Annotated Watchmen
656:Jayapalan, N. (2002).
616:Oxenham, H.N. (1878).
477:Who Monitors the Birds
436:. It first appears in
262:
221:
155:
43:
731:Eco, Umberto (1984).
433:I Shall Wear Midnight
260:George Floyd protests
253:
143:"Pone seram, cohibe."
328:(watchmen) from the
320:Socrates proposed a
208:quis custodiet ipsos
628:(Jul. to Dec): 732.
587:Classical Philology
449:" is an episode of
418:. He answers it in
414:, commander of the
129:) are corruptible (
576:13: 201–205.
515:features the song
479:, twelfth episode
375:In popular culture
290:quotes it thus in
263:
133:, 346–348):
894:The Latin Library
683:Project Gutenberg
340:" in English. As
315:Socratic dialogue
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242:
172:
171:
99:, comes from the
16:(Redirected from
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795:. June 15, 1986.
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772:Atkinson, Doug.
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439:Guards! Guards!
402:Terry Pratchett
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529:Out of Order
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412:Samuel Vimes
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50:Latin phrase
41:
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27:Latin phrase
507:by English
258:during the
115:governments
902:in English
871:2024-07-18
842:"Lyrics -
561:References
495:Succession
416:City Watch
382:Alan Moore
223:... I know
192:Oxoniensis
123:corruption
112:tyrannical
900:Satire VI
888:Satire VI
522:The song
509:post-punk
407:Discworld
338:noble lie
309:. In the
212:custodes?
912:Category
890:in Latin
544:See also
394:Watchmen
350:Republic
334:phylakes
326:custodes
322:guardian
311:Republic
298:Republic
281:Socrates
277:Republic
272:Republic
202:... noui
131:Satire 6
127:custodes
108:satirist
84:Republic
844:Justice
517:Justice
354:Glaucon
330:Satires
101:Satires
60:Juvenal
55:Satires
810:Looper
367:, the
303:Cicero
190:, for
180:Oxford
66:" or "
892:, at
511:band
421:Thud!
267:Plato
105:Roman
97:Latin
79:power
48:is a
828:Time
488:In "
430:and
384:and
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