“Until philosophers are kings, or the kings and princes of this world have the spirit and power of philosophy, and political greatness and wisdom meet in one…cities will never have rest from their evils.” Plato Socrates, as Plato’s protagonist of The Republic, undertakes the herculean task of outlining an ideal state. His lengthy exercise with the characters Thrasymachus, a sophist, and Glaucon, a wealthy merchant, lead him to speak, among many other topics, of a hypothetical philosopher-king who would best rule Kallipolis. Plato, as argued through Socrates, believed that a state in the hands of common men, or of the Machiavellian sophists who represented them, would inevitably be steered to ruin. This article demonstrates Plato’s argument that the rule of philosopher-kings is the best form of government because it avoids the pitfalls of rule by the demos, it is led by him who is least ambitious, and, underpinning the former two, it is led by him who is most rational and virtuous. As argued by Plato, the wise philosopher who selflessly answers the call of duty, rather than lusting after power, will bring harmony to a state because he can see matters most dispassionately, truthfully, and lucidly. The context of Plato’s life elucidates why he reached the above thesis. He was born around 428 B.C. after the commencement of the Peloponnesian War.
In his youth, he observed the triumph of Sparta over Athens and was even related to some of “the Thirty” Spartan tyrants who collectively presided over Athens after their victory. He was influenced by many earlier philosophers including Pythagoras and Heraclitus, but none had a greater effect on him than his mentor, Socrates. According to Plato, “Socrates was unique as a teacher in refusing to accept payment, in refusing to put his talents to … [argue] in the assembly or courts, and… in his method of careful questioning of anyone reputed to possess either knowledge or virtue.” In 399 B.C., Socrates was condemned to death by Athenian magistrates for impiety and corrupting the youth; Plato bore witness to this travesty. These formative experiences made him critical of Athenian democracy, 11 | P a g e
