Plato’s Insane Political Philosophy | The Republic

Summary

В этом видео скрипт размышляется о идеальном обществе, основанном на разделении граждан на три класса: бронза, серебро и золото. Автор обсуждает концепцию Платона о правлении философами, их обучении и роли в обществе. Также рассматриваются альтернативные формы правления, такие как тимократия, олигархия, демократия и тирания, и их недостатки. Платоновская республика предлагает идею общества, где каждый служит обществу, принося свой вклад, и правит философ-король, обладающий мудростью и справедливостью.

Takeaways

• 🧐 Платон задавал вопрос о том, какая идеальная страна и как выглядит справедливый человек.
• 🏛️ В 'Государстве' Платон предложил идеализированное государство, чтобы увидеть, как выглядит справедливость на более широкой шкале.
• 👑 Платон утверждал, что ученые, всеми людьми, должны править обществом, хотя и сам он был скептиком по этому поводу.
• 🏗️ Платон разделил своих граждан на три класса: бронзовый, серебряный и золотой, соответствующие разным типам металлов и ролям.
• 🛠️ Бронзовый класс представлял собой экономическую основу города, включая ремесленников, торговцев и служащих.
• 🛡️ Серебряный класс - это профессиональная армия, обученная искусству войны и поддерживающая порядок в городе.
• 👑 Золотой класс - это известные философы-короли, которые являются правителями города.
• 🚫 Платон запретил золотому и серебряному классам владеть частной собственностью, чтобы отделить богатство от власти.
• 📚 Платон предложил строгую систему образования для всех классов, чтобы промоуvoir virtue среди всех граждан города.
• 🤔 Платон считал, что истинный философ - это кто-то, кто любит мудрость, справедливость, красоту и истину, и имеет возможность изучать их в деталях.
• 🗽 Платон критиковал существующие в то время формы правления в Греции и представил четыре альтернативные общества, чтобы показать, где они пойдут не так.

Q & A

Что такое идеальная государственность по учению Платона?

Идеальная государственность Платона - это государство, в котором философы правят и каждый гражданин выполняет те функции, для которых он наиболее подходит.

Какой класс в государстве Платона отвечает за экономику?

Бронзовый класс, включающий ремесленников, торговцев и служащих, отвечает за экономику в государстве Платона.

Какой класс в системе Платона предназначен для защиты и обеспечения порядка?

Серебряный класс, также известный как вспомогательный класс, предназначен для защиты и обеспечения порядка в государстве Платона.

Почему Платон считал, что философы должны править?

Платон считал, что философы, стремящиеся к истине и мудрости, будут править государством более справедливо и безопасно, так как они не будут искать личную выгоду.

Какой класс в государстве Платона считается "философским королевством"?

Золотой класс, включающий философов-королей, считается правящим классом в государстве Платона.

Как Платон думал, что образование должно быть организовано в его государстве?

Образование в государстве Платона должно быть строго контролируемо и направлено на формирование морали и веры в справедливость среди всех классов.

Какие качества Платон приписывал философу-королю?

Философ-король должен обладать мудростью, смелостью, умеренностью, любовью к истине и способностью к служению сообществу.

Чем, по мнению Платона, рушит политическая система?

Политика, по мнению Платона, рушится из-за коррупции, стремления к власти и богатству, а также из-за неспособности править справедливо.

Какие альтернативные формы правления рассматривает Платон в "Государстве"?

Платон рассматривает такие формы правления, как тимократия, олигархия, демократия и тирания, и анализирует их недостатки.

Какой вид правления Платон считает худшим?

Платон считает тиранией худшим видом правления, так как в ней обе стороны — правитель и народ — живут в несчастье и страхе.

Outlines

00:00

🏛️ Основы идеального государства Платона

В этом параграфе рассматривается вопрос идеального общества и правительства философами, как это предложено Платоном в своей работе 'Государство'. Автор поднимает вопросы, такие как власть богатства, идеализированного социализма и либертарианства. Платон делит граждан на три класса: бронзовый, серебряный и золотой, каждый из которых имеет свои роли и ограничения. Бронзовый класс - это рабочий класс, включающий ремесленников и торговцев, у которого есть свобода и возможность накопления богатства, но с ограничениями. Серебряный класс - это военная часть, а золотой класс - правители, философы-короли. Платон считает, что власть и богатство должны быть разделены, чтобы избежать коррупции и деспотизма.

05:02

🛡️ Образование и война в государстве Платона

Второй параграф сосредотачивается на классе серебра - профессиональной армии, которая обучается искусству войны и поддерживает мир в городе. Платон предлагает строгую систему образования, которая включает в себя физические и интеллектуальные испытания. Он также предлагает идею классовой мобильности, где дети, проявляющие черты серебра или золота, будут обучены соответствующим классам. Образование философов-королей должно продолжаться до 50 лет и включать в себя математику, философию, естествознание и диалектику, чтобы подготовить их к управлению государством.

10:04

🧠 Философ-король и его образование

Третий параграф углубляется в идею философов-королей, которые должны быть честными, смелыми, любознательными и стремящимися к знанию. Образование философов должно сосредоточиться на изучении всех предметов, чтобы развивать их разум и уменьшать их собственные желания. Платон считает, что философы-короли должны быть не мотивированы деньгами или властью, а стремлением к знанию и искренней правде. Он подчеркивает, что философы-короли должны видеть себя как равных с серебряным и бронзовым классами и не считать себя выше других.

15:05

🌐 Критика современного политического строя Платона

В четвертом параграфе автор критикует современное для Платона политическое устройство и предлагает альтернативные формы правления, такие как тимократия, олигархия и демократия, каждая из которых, по мнению Платона, имеет свои недостатки. Он также предсказывает, что демократия с лишней свободой может привести к хаосу и появлению тирана. Платон считает, что идеальное государство требует от нас больших жертв, но обеспечивает справедливость и радость.

20:06

🏙️ Альтернативные виды правления и их неудачи

Пятый параграф продолжает критику альтернативных форм правления и их неудачи, включая олигархию, демократию и тиранию. Платон рассматривает эти системы как неудачные и предсказывает, что они приведут к войне, эксплуатации и смертям. Он сравнивает их с идеальным государством, которое, по его мнению, требует от нас многого, но обеспечивает справедливость и радость.

25:08

🤔 Заключение и вопросы к зрителям

В заключении автор обращается к зрителям с вопросом о том, какие идеи Платона могут быть применимы в современных обществах и какие - нет. Он также предлагает продолжить изучение древней философии, ссылаясь на теорию дружбы Аристотеля.

Keywords

💡философ

Философ в контексте видео - это человек, который стремится к мудрости, истине и красоте. В 'Государстве' Платона, философами называются те, кто любит истину и способен ее изучать. Философы-правители должны быть честными, смелыми, любить обучение и стремиться служить сообществу. В видео подчеркивается, что философы-правители должны быть обученными, справедливыми и самопожертвующими, что является ключевым моментом в идеале Платона о правителях.

💡Платон

Платон - древнегреческий философ, автор 'Республики', в которой он описывает свое видение идеального государства. В видео рассматривается его теория, согласно которой философы должны управлять государством, чтобы обеспечить справедливость и гармонию. Платоновская республика разделена на три класса: бронза, серебро и золото, каждый из которых соответствует определенным функциям и ценностям.

💡Республика

Республика - это учебное произведение Платона, в котором он разрабатывает идею идеального государства. В видео подробно рассматривается разделение граждан на три класса в соответствии с их способностями и характерными чертами, что должно обеспечить внушительную сплоченность и эффективность государства.

💡бронза

Бронза в республике Платона относится к классу ремесленников и торговцев, которые являются экономической основой города. Они имеют свободу в выборе профессии и частной жизни, но ограничены в накоплении богатства. В видео подчеркивается, что бронзовый класс обеспечивает жизнеобеспечение и процветание города, но при этом ограничен в карьерном росте.

💡серебро

Серебро в системе Платона соответствует военному классу - 'вспомогательному классу', чьей основной задачей является защита и поддержание порядка. В видео говорится, что они получают строгую подготовку и образование, что делает их более эффективными и преданными защитниками города, чем временные военные формирования.

💡золото

Золото в республике Платона - это класс правителей или 'философов-королей'. Они отвечают за управление государством и должны быть образованными, справедливыми и самопожертвующими. В видео подробно обсуждается их роль и отвественность за общее благо, что является ключевым аспектом идеала Платона.

💡специализация

Специализация в республике Платона означает, что каждый гражданин занимается работой, для которой он лучше всего подходит. Это способствует эффективности и гармонии в обществе, так как каждый делает то, что может делать наилучшим образом. В видео говорится, что специализация должна приводить к профессионализму и высокому мастерству в каждой сфере деятельности.

💡образование

Образование в контексте Платона играет ключевую роль в формировании граждан и, особенно, правителей. В видео рассматривается строгая и всеобъемлющая система образования, которая должна обеспечить моральное и интеллектуальное развитие, а также преданность обществу. Образование включает в себя физические и интеллектуальные упражнения, обучение музыке и философии, чтобы подготовить граждан к служению государству.

💡справедливость

Справедливость в республике Платона означает, что каждый гражданин выполняет ту работу, для которой он предназначен, и каждый класс обладает теми возможностями и правами, которые соответствуют его роли в обществе. В видео подчеркивается, что справедливость достигается через равновесие и гармонию между классами и их функциями, что обеспечивает стабильность и процветание государства.

💡демократия

Демократия в видео рассматривается как одна из форм правления, которую Платона критикует. Он считает, что прямая демократия может привести к излишней свободе и разобщению общества, что в свою очередь может привести к беспорядку и установлению тирании. В видео говорится, что демократия, по Платонову, не обеспечивает справедливость и может быть источником проблем для государства.

Highlights

Plato's Republic proposes that philosophers should rule society.

Plato divides citizens into three classes: bronze, silver, and gold, each with distinct roles.

The bronze class, representing the economic backbone, is allowed private property and wealth accumulation within limits.

The silver class forms the military and receives a rigorous education to ensure harmony and practical wisdom.

The gold class, or philosopher kings, rules the city-state and undergoes the most extensive education.

Plato argues for a separation of power and wealth to prevent corruption.

Education is central to Plato's vision, with strict controls on art and literature to promote moral development.

Plato advocates for class mobility based on individual traits and abilities.

The philosopher kings are characterized by their love for wisdom, truth, and justice.

Plato criticizes the philosophers of his time for seeking riches and status over truth and wisdom.

The education system in Plato's Republic aims to produce rulers who are incorruptible and dedicated to the common good.

Plato outlines the faults of other governments in ancient Greece, such as timocracy, oligarchy, democracy, and tyranny.

In Plato's view, democracy can lead to anarchy and the rise of a tyrant.

Plato's Republic demands sacrifices from its citizens, emphasizing community over individual desires.

The ultimate goal of Plato's Republic is a just, fair, and joyful society.

Plato's ideas on politics remain relevant and thought-provoking even after 2,000 years.

Transcripts

there will be no end to the Troubles of

States till philosophers rule in this

world if you could design the perfect

Society what would it be would you craft

a wealthy abundant hedonistic Nation

where everyone had each of their wishes

granted in one Fell Swoop would it be a

form of idealized Socialism where all

was shared with everyone else would it

be a Libertarian fantasy with no

restrictions and little to no government

well over 2,000 years ago Plato asked

asked this exact question he wanted to

know what Justice is and what a just

person would be like and to answer this

he crafted an idealized city-state to

see what Justice would look like on an

even wider scale this project culminated

in his great work the Republic where he

famously argued that philosophers of all

people should rule Society this may

sound like a ridiculous proposition and

even though I technically do Philosophy

for a living I am personally pretty

skeptical both myself and a lot of

philosophers I know would be pretty ill

suited to running a country philosophers

are normally conceived of as bookish and

out of touch spending their time in

Ivory Towers thinking about the

so-called higher Mysteries what possible

business could they have running a state

well let's find out shall we get ready

to learn why money ruins politics how

education is the most powerful weapon in

government and so much more as always

please bear in mind this is just my

incomplete interpretation of Plato's

ideas and I'll be skimming over some of

the details for easy of presentation and

also that just because Plato said

something doesn't mean that it's true

it's worth engaging with these ideas

critically but with that out of the way

let's begin by looking at the

foundations of the platonic city state

and Plato's first unintuitive

proposition one the new metallic order

the first step to getting inside Plato's

head with his governmental strategy is

to realize that ancient Greece had very

different priorities to the modern day

whereas many of us are lucky enough to

live in Nations without the immediate

threat of foreign Invasion and ones that

tend to favor the freedom and

Independence of their individual

citizens Plato instead focuses much more

on internal unity and efficiency part of

the reason this is such a priority is

because Plato wants his ideal citystate

to be secure and to a certain extent

unchanging he is writing not that long

after the pelian war the great conflict

that engulfed the whole of Greece and

the concerns of Interstate competition

would never be far from his mind to this

end Plato wants his city states to be as

cohesive and efficient as possible with

everyone doing what they are best suited

to do and so he divides his citizens

into three classes corresponding to

three different types of metal there is

the bronze class the silver class and

the gold class and each of these classes

has very different roles advantages and

most importantly drawbacks the bronze

class is meant to be the economic

Powerhouse of the city these are the

Craftsmen the trades people and the

servicemen of pl's Republic they are

also entitled to the most normal and

free life of anyone in Plato City city

state they work a lot like any other

Greek they are broadly allowed to

associate with whomever they want given

certain restrictions they have the

freedom to own private property and are

allowed to apply themselves to the

accumulation of money again within

certain parameters they have a vital

place in the city because without them

the state would have no food no economy

and would undoubtedly be outclassed and

overtaken by a superior power Plato is

not such an idealist as to think that he

can get by without any sort of trade as

much as he admires aspects of the

Spartans brutal lifestyle he does not

think that permanent austerity is a

recipe for long-term success even though

he also makes it clear that there will

be limits in the amount of wealth

inequality that is allowed to exist

between people in his State as without

this he imagines resentment and anger

building amongst the populace the main

restriction the bronze class face is

that they are forced to stick to one

profession for their entire lives so if

you are a blacksmith then you remain One

Forever the thinking behind this

decision is actually pretty

straightforward if someone sticks to one

job the job they are best suited for

then they will be able to sink much more

time into it accumulating more expertise

as a result this means that Plato's

Republic will have not just Craftsman

but the best Craftsmen not just Farmers

but the best Farmers this specialization

is also meant to promote peace within

the state according to Plato internal

Harmony in a society is partly brought

about by a lack of competition within

the city a sense that everyone is on the

same team if there were too many

Builders and blacksmiths all competing

for the same business then it would

promote resent M since the less

successful Craftsmen would envy the more

successful ones and they may decide to

work to bring about their downfall thus

each person will probably inherit their

profession from their parents unless

they have a special skill that means

they should be moved to another job this

might seem confusing in a modern context

because we tend to want people to be

free to pursue whatever they care about

and Plato does recognize that not

everyone will be happy with this but he

thinks that the health of our community

is far more important this is just the

beginning of a key theme in the Republic

everyone sacrificing for the general

good of society but this paying extreme

dividends when that Society is strong

enough to support them and keep them

safe and happy next up is the silver

class this is effectively the nation's

military and here PL takes a leaf out of

the Spartans book and argues for a

professional Army this is in contrast to

many of the other city states in Greece

at this time who would repurpose their

civilian citizens as a fighting force in

times of War however in keeping with his

theme of specialization Plato thought

that a professional military would be

much more effective he calls this the

auxiliary class and their sole job is to

train in The Art of War and keep the

peace within the city they would also

receive a rigorous training and a strict

education system which we're going to

revisit in the next section finally we

have the Gold Class these are Plato's

Infamous philosopher Kings this group

forms the rulers of the city and it is

perhaps the hardest part of Plato's

political pill to swallow I'm going to

devote an entire section to them later

in the video so I'm I'm not going to go

into too much detail here but rest

assured they will be back the important

thing to note for now is just that

they're in charge these groups were also

meant to correspond to the three parts

of Plato's human soul the rational or

wise part for the rulers the energetic

or spirited part for the soldiers and

the desirous or appetitive part for the

bronze class now the immediate issue

that leaps out when reading this is that

we have a class system where two groups

of people have all of the military power

and the others are effectively powerless

subjects there is every chance this

could lead to severe corruption within

the state and for the whole thing to

dissolve into a tyranny however Plato

has a pretty clever solution to this he

bans the auxiliary and the ruling class

from owning private property each silver

and gold person will be provided with

their lodgings food and other

necessities by the state but this does

not mean that they will live in luxury

on the contrary they will be in very

sparse communal lodgings and would be

completely barred from owning anything

for themselves in other words wants to

keep power and wealth or Comfort

completely separate he says that ruling

or soldiering will be a great honor but

it'll also be no easy ride indeed he

insinuates that most people would

actually prefer to belong to the bronze

class so that they could enjoy material

Comfort but also that this is a good

thing because it means the only people

who end up in power are those with the

Constitution to use this position to

serve their fellow citizens rather than

enrich themselves for worldly luxuries

and status in a rather preent passage

Plato describes how the ability of

rulers to enrich themselves through

their offices has the power to transform

them from Servants of the people to

selfish avaricious tyrants leading to

societal resentment as a result but this

is only the beginning of the lengths

that PLO will go to to ensure there is

good rulership in his City because next

we're going to look at a very exciting

subject the proper education of a

politician if you want to help me make

more videos like this then please

consider subscribing to my Channel or my

P the links are in the description two

educating a state have you ever stopped

to think about how strange it is that

the people that run most countries

receive little to no training for this

job this is despite the fact it's one of

the most important positions someone can

have in a state we wouldn't allow a

doctor to operate on a patient without a

single day's medical training so how

come we end up offering no such

specialized educational provision to the

people that end up running our country

again Plato is drawing from his own

experience here in his lifetime pure

Democratic rule granted Athens

incompetent rulers and rash decisions

after all the Athenian States had

executed Plato's great teacher Socrates

and led the country to disaster in the

pelian war and Plato has a plan to make

sure that his soldiers and rulers are as

effective and selfless as possible it

comes in the form of a rigorous

education system designed to promote

virtue amongst all the classes in the

city first of all there are Plato's

Infamous and strict controls on the art

and literature that any citizen in his

State can consume Plato says if we are

to have a society as full of just people

as possible we have to pay very careful

attention to the messages we are sending

them especially as they're growing up he

even criticizes the great poet Homer for

filling people's heads with the idea

that Gods could be cruel or capricious

or that Heroes could be wrathful lustful

and belligerent for Plato the purpose of

Art in his City will be to Aid in the

moral development of its citizenry and

to that end everything must be carefully

Cur ated this probably strikes us today

as unacceptably censorious and Plato

freely admits that this will limit the

pleasure the Republic citizens will take

in the Arts but he thinks this is a

small price to pay to promote social

cohesion and good moral character I'll

leave it up to you whether you agree

with him here it's also worth bearing in

mind that Plato himself does not think

he's doing a cruel thing he is

essentially worried that if people are

exposed to the wrong Role Models through

myth or theater then they will be led

down unhappy paths in their life and

also neglect their duties to their

fellow citizens it's all meant to be in

service to The Wider Community the uh

greater good of course today we consider

free creative expression a much more

significant part of what makes a happy

life so many of us would probably

disagree with the great Greeks policies

here nonetheless Plato is not being

deliberately dictatorial but is

genuinely trying to safeguard the

citizens of his imaginary Republic much

like a father wouldn't allow a

5-year-old to watch The Texas Chainsaw

Massacre however Beyond this not an

awful lot is said about what the

education of the bronze class should

consist in at points Plato hints that

there'll be a kind of apprenticeship

model where they are taught their

destined trades so that they can achieve

Excellence much faster at other points

he alludes to more formal educational

Provisions being made Plato probably

doesn't expand on this too much because

the bronze class are treated the most

normally of all of Plato citizens at

least by the standards of much of

ancient Greek culture when we get to the

auxiliaries this is when things start to

get interesting at the early stages the

auxiliaries and rulers or Guardians are

educated together and are put through

numerous physical and intellectual

trials for the soldiers Plato has two

distinct aims to cultivate their

physical prowess but also their sense of

Harmony and practical wisdom to that end

he actually Advocates teaching them

music and the theory behind music they

will be taught how Harmony works shown

examples of Music in its proper fashion

and it will be emphasized over and over

again that Harmony is a supreme virtue

and that their job is to devote their

lives to the harmony of the community

Plato also broke with Athenian tradition

here and argued that men and women

should be given exactly the same

education because why should the

Republic miss out on the service of an

excellent Soldier or a supremely

skillful Guardian just because they're a

woman the ideal for Plato's auxiliaries

is to be strong enough to master the

battlefields but also subtle enough to

keep the peace in the city without

abusing their power or upsetting the

general populace it is also here that

Plato proposes a version of class

Mobility any child born to bronze

parents that displays Sil silver or gold

traits will be educated in the manner of

that class sometimes Plato has been

called a tyrant for his political

theories but I believe it's almost more

accurate to call him a believer in

involuntary meritocracy he believed in

picking the best person for the job but

also thought that that person was Duty

bound to carry out that job whether they

wanted to or not again everyone is

sublimating their individual desires for

the good of the whole once the soldiers

had completed this schooling they were

guaranteed to be both capable Fighters

and fiercely loyal to the citystate

without a drop of corruption in their

body at least that's the theory when

this is complete the rulers are

separated into their own group for the

next stage of their education this will

ultimately last until they are 50 years

old and includes studies in various

fields of mathematics philosophy

physical training Natural Science

dialectic and years of field and

Military Work all of which is aimed to

prepare them for the meticulous job of

running the Republic now you may have

heard the word dialectic used in the

context of certain 19th century

philosophers like Hegel but Plato means

it in a somewhat different sense for him

dialectic is the practice of using

precise philosophical analysis and

discussion to find the truth of an issue

and to establish the first principles of

wisdom and governance it's easy to see

how this skill might come in hand for a

ruler but Plato does not just want these

analytic and discussion skills to be

used in the straightforwardly Practical

domain of stagecraft he also wants the

rulers to turn their attention to more

abstract ideas alongside the day-to-day

business of running the city these

philosopher Kings will conduct inquiries

into what genuinely constitutes goodness

Justice right wrong truth and Beauty so

that they can use these discoveries for

the good of all of course the job of

being an Incorruptible ruler of a city

clearly requires a particular kind of

person so it is high time we looked at

this idea of a philosopher king in more

detail three the ruler of wisdom in our

heads we all have an image of what a

philosopher looks like it is probably

some old-looking bloke or serious

looking woman hunched over a desk with a

pen in their hand scribbling down some

musings on the meaning of life or

attending to some minor issue of

analytic logic I don't mean this as an

insult I love these people I want to

become one but it does make sense that

people would question why this group in

particular has the right to rule over

the rest of us however we must bear in

mind that when Plato says philosopher he

means something very different to this

academic world of Tweed jackets and

mahogany desks he is talking more

broadly but also perhaps more strictly

about those that love wisdom or perhaps

more importantly love truth let's think

about what makes an incompetent ruler

they might be forgetful careless

thoughtless easily tricked and

indecisive above all they carry little

to no commitment to what is actually the

case they will lie so much that they

will forget what was the truth and what

was a figment of their ever inventive

imagination they would lose touch with

reality to such an extent that they

could not become good Governors if they

tried for Plato this is a doomsday

scenario and should be avoided at all

costs considering that one of the most

common complaints about politicians

today is still their perceived

dishonesty perhaps we would do well to

listen to what Plato has to say next for

Plato a true philosopher is someone who

loves wisdom Justice Beauty and truth

and moreover has the capability to

examine these in detail they are meant

to be honest to a fault courageous

intellectually and physically curious

love learning and are eager to serve

their Community they demonstrate the

platonic virtues of wisdom courage and

moderation it's fair to say this is

somewhat of a departure from our

ordinary usage of philosopher and this

has caused a lot of confusion when

people read Plato Plato is not saying

that academics should rule over us all

but rather that a ruler should have

certain qualities if they are to wield

their power responsibly and effectively

he just considered these as also the

qualities a good philosopher would have

he also thought the state should grow

and nurture these virtues if we are to

have a truly peaceful and just Society

additionally a platonic philosopher is

someone not motivated by money or power

but instead learning and the discovery

of the so-called highest truths they

must not only be extremely studious but

also moderate in their bodily tastes he

ideally says that a philosopher king

would be so single-minded that nothing

would tear them away from their learning

and their governance they would not want

to accumulate wealth or status or have a

harem of extremely attractive lovers

because their whole mind is devoted to

studying and just Administration and the

entire education system of the rulers is

meant to encourage this as I said before

Plato wants to school his philosopher

Kings in all manner of subjects this is

important for practical reasons this way

a ruler can be an engineer a navigator

and a general allinone but it is also

meant to hone their minds and encourage

them to take all of their pleasure from

this studying and learning decreasing

their potential for corruption anyone

who was sluggish in their work or

distracted from other things would be

removed and not permitted to become a

ruler of the city this might seem really

harsh but for Plato it is absolutely

necessary to ensure that our rulers have

our best interests at heart and will not

be led astray by selfish desires at

points Plato even says that these rulers

should not want to have power at all

they should take no particular joy in

this privileged position but again see

it as a sacrifice they are making to

everyone else this completes that theme

we were talking about that runs through

the entirety of the Republic rather than

a society full of individuals taking for

themselves this is a city where everyone

offers all of their work skill and

energy to the community safe in the

knowledge that everyone else is doing

the same it is a bit like how work might

be divided amongst a group of firm

friends or a close family people

wouldn't worry about how much effort and

sacrifice they are giving because they

are 100% confident that everyone else is

going to do the same thus in theory

everybody wins Plato also takes pains to

emphasize that the rulers don't see

themselves as better than the silver or

bronze class this is why he refers to

them as fellow ruler and fellow ruled

rather than as slaves and master

of course Plato knows that this idea of

philosophers ruling will seem totally

ridiculous but this is where he takes a

moment to criticize what he saw the

so-called philosophers and intellectuals

of his time doing for Plato almost all

people who present themselves as wise or

just or philosophical are either

insufficiently trained or have had their

Natures corrupted by their society so at

some point instead of pursuing truth

wisdom and Beauty directly they have

veered off course and sought riches or

status instead alternatively anyone with

the right temperate to remain moderate

in the face of this worldly Temptation

has withdrawn from public life

disdainful of the corruption that they

find in the political sphere basically

for Plato most societies set themselves

up specifically to discourage the best

people to rule from ruling and to

encourage the more selfish power hungry

types to seize the Reigns of State

instead I will leave it to you to decide

how relevant this Insight is for the

present day so that is the broad outline

of Plato's state if it all goes well

then every one is in a position where

they can contribute the most to society

you can have wealth or power but not

both and the rulers are highly trained

to be learned just and self-sacrificial

but interestingly Plato ends the

Republic not by arguing directly for his

system but by outlining The Faults of

all of the other governments he found in

ancient Greece and his analyses remains

surprisingly and startlingly relevant

even to this day so for our final point

we're going to examine Plato's extended

rant against his own Society for four

the failed States running through the

whole of the Republic it is clear that

Plato is deeply dissatisfied with

politics as it existed in Greece at his

time and to be fair who can blame him

the state of Athens killed his teacher

and his friend and there were numerous

people who argued that the strong had

the right to dominate the weak and that

Justice was whatever they decided there

were demagogues who had led his City

into disaster and he had grown up in the

shadow of an ancient world war though

its Fame persists to this St in some

ways the Republic is a direct response

to the problem of Plato's time amongst

all of this Injustice and savagery how

do we create a good people and a just

society and to hammer this point home

Plato outlines four alternative

societies and lets us know where they go

wrong first we have the timocracy

meaning ruling by Honor Plato Compares

this situation to one like Sparta there

is still a ruling class but they are not

as selfless and just as the philosopher

Kings instead they prioritize other

matters like military honor and

competition amongst one another they may

even begin to worship money and from

here it is a short step to Plato's

second form of government next we have

oligarchy we still use this term in

roughly the same way that Plato did in

this state the ruling class are

determined by personal wealth only those

with money can have power and everyone

else is essentially under their thumb it

is the direct opposite of Plato's core

idea that power and wealth should be

kept as far away from one another as

possible and and according to Plato an

oligarchy is guaranteed to undermine the

unity that he thought was so important

for justice in a community he

essentially says an oligarchy is not one

state but two states that run parallel

to one another there is one rich ruling

Society who is only out for themselves

and the poor who dwell in understandable

anger at their selfish Masters predating

modern theories of class conflicts by

2,000 years Plato predicts that the

underclass will eventually rise up and

attempt to overthrow their Rich Overlord

either this Rebellion will be put down

pretty swiftly or they will succeed and

then we move to the next stage next on

the table there is good old-fashioned

Athenian style democracy these are not

quite like our modern representative

democracies but instead every citizen

has the right to vote on every major

decision that is the democracy is direct

and Plato's criticism of direct

democracy is really interesting because

he thinks that it will lead to an excess

of Freedom a lot of us are now used to

the idea that freedom is fundamentally a

good thing and that the more of it we

can get our hands on the better but

Plato thought that freedom itself

actually meant very little if we didn't

know how to use it in an unjust State he

thought that being free simply amounted

to the ability to follow our appetites

wherever they took us thus he thinks we

would pursue our own selfish ends

splitting the state into more and more

pieces until there was just crude

individualist Anarchy Not only would

this leave us open to outside aggression

but we would also yearn for more order

and structure and community and this

would let the following nefarious

character take control Plato thinks that

out of this anarchic state will emerge

someone powerful and popular enough to

Rally significant support which they

will then use to seize militaristic

power over their City then since there

is no guarantee they will have the right

temperaments to rule they may slowly

become a tyrant over time in fact Plato

thinks they are almost guaranteed to he

says this person may begin as a

demagogue someone who promises to give

us all we want but as soon as they are

in power they will instead prioritize

their own individual instinctive desires

terrorizing the citizenry in the process

he thinks this is the worst form of

government because both the public and

the ruler are completely miserable while

the ordinary people are undoubtedly

oppressed the ruler also lives in

constant fear of someone overthrowing

him and almost certainly killing him he

sees enemies around every corner and

ends up taking no pleasure in his rule

all the while being unable to give it up

without facing certain death and if he

is killed then the state will just be in

chaos again Plato points to all of these

states with their inevitable instability

War exploitation and death and he

contrasts them with his own projects He

knows that this ideal Republic will

demand a lot from us we will have to

change our entire way of living we will

have to make endless sacrifices to one

another give up a lot of freedoms

especially if we're a ruler and accept

that for all of us the community comes

first but according to Plato if all goes

smoothly we will reap the rewards of a

society that is just fair and joyous and

he thinks that makes it all worthwhile

of course we now have over 2,000 years

of political thinking since Plato So we

would almost certainly disagree with a

great many of his points famously car

POA thought Plato's Republic would be an

absurd dystopia but I'm really

interested to know what you think which

of Plato's ideas do you think are worth

taking on board and incorporating into

our own societies and which are no

longer applicable or relevant should we

demand that our politicians be much more

like Plato's philosopher Kings with the

emphasis on learning and moderation

should we separate wealth and power

entirely making it clear that our rulers

are Servants of the community and not

the other way around I am certainly no

political thinker so I'm just curious to

know what you think we can learn from

Plato here and what we can safely

disregard because the problems of how to

craft a just and Fair Community aren't

going to go away and perhaps we can find

an understanding ear or a potential ally

in this ancient Greek genius and if you

want to explore more of this type of

ancient philosophy further then click

here to learn about Aristotle's famous

theory of friendship and how it might

form part of the solution to our modern

struggles of loneliness and stick around

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