  The characterization of appropriately ruled non-philosophers as  slavish might suggest a special concern for the “heteronomous”  character of their capacity to do what they want and a special  valorization of the philosophers’ “autonomous” capacity. But we  should be hesitant about applying these frequently confused and  possibly anachronistic concepts to the Republic. Plato would probably prefer to think in terms of self-sufficiency (369b), and for the  purposes of Socrates’ argument here, it is enough to contrast the way a producer’s capacity is deeply dependent upon social surroundings  and the way a philosopher’s capacity is relatively free from this  dependence, once it has been cultivated.