Plato And The Best Rulers - 1996 Words

In his Republic, Plato, through the character of Socrates, asserts that the best rulers are philosophers because philosophers are the only people who have contemplated the Forms, and therefore, the only people who possess knowledge. This paper will show how Plato argues that philosophers are the best rulers, citing his argument from Book V, his divided line argument from Book VI, and his ‘Allegory of the Cave’ from book VII. Once it is established how Plato argues that philosophers make the best rulers, this paper will proceed to question whether Plato convincingly asserts that ruling and philosophy are or can become one thing. This paper will focus on the objection that Plato does not make a good case for ruling and philosophy being the same thing, and that, therefore, in order for Plato’s city to be just, he must have a set of people who rule and a different set of people who study philosophy, as per his definition of justice. In Book V of Republic, Socrates sug gests to his interlocutor, Glaucon, that though it may seem strange, philosophers are the ones who must rule in order for a city to be just (Republic 187-8). In order to establish that philosophers must rule, Socrates must first define what he means when he says ‘philosopher’ (Republic 188). Socrates’ first step is to separate the philosophers from what he later calls ‘philodoxers,’ pseudo-intellectuals who falsely claim to have knowledge (Republic 188). Socrates uses the example of â€Å"the lovers of seeing andShow MoreRelatedThe Republic By Plato And The Prince By Machiavelli1617 Words   |  7 Pagesapart, The Republic by Plato and The Prince by Machiavelli offer important views on political philosophies of rulers. Plato writes of a perfect society where status as ruler is naturally selected through innate abilities. These abilities are used to sustain the society, better it, and preserve it. 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