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Essay: Exploring Why Plato Believed Philosophers Should Rule in Republic Society:

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  • Published: 1 April 2019*
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    In a society where the citizens consisted of the rulers and the ruled, in Plato’s Republic, he attempts to give an explanation on why philosophers would be superior rulers in comparison to the everyday citizen. Within the dialogue of Socrates and his acquaintance, one can easily observe the views of those who ultimately believe philosophers would be divine rulers of the city. Within the discourse, Socrates suggests they will know what is best for the society as a whole for reason that their education will supplant those of the commoners. Substantive emphasis is placed on education of the individual who should have the potential to be guardians because only through education, it is believed, one can acquire the skills and knowledge to be able to make the best decisions. In this essay, I will argue that, certainly, philosophers are more suitable to rule the city, due to their understanding of the world of the Forms. By virtue of this the philosophers’ abundance of education and outlooks of the world, will surely allow them to rule in the best interest of the city. One can see this through the understanding the world of the Forms, the education between the citizen and guardians, and what Plato is trying to tell the reader regarding the allegory of the cave.

    In Plato’s utopia, education is a crucial aspect of an individual's life to prosper and become ethical citizens. Beginning with musical and physical training, followed by arts; these components of education will aid in improving one’s abilities and provide more knowledge on culture. The elenchus is ultimately not sufficient enough; the elenchus is essentially the asking of questions and engaging in dialogue with another individual. Additionally, it breaks down, a person's perspective and gets them to question themselves. A fundamental role of education is to determine the abilities of a citizen and the jobs they are unable or able to perform. Though the ultimate goal of education in Plato’s definition is to improve one’s character and spawn personal growth. Therefore education is necessary to construct a good society; this can be described as Paideia. In essence, this meant education involving the mental and personal development alongside learning about arts, is a crucial component in the polis.

    For Socrates, education sculpts a person from their adolescence to become the individual that they are. He says “ their education and upbringing. For if a good education makes them moderate men, they will easily discover all this from themselves”, in which Adeimantus agrees. Consequently, the education of potential guardians according to Socrates must begin during childhood so they’ll become better than their predecessors in the future. Due to this, cities focus on specialization, so for the good of the city, one must pursue their natural skill which they acknowledge through education. For this reason of specialization, Plato argues philosophers are specialized to rule. Indeed this would be the prime option, on the grounds that philosophers possess the virtues of wisdom and justice. When discussing the physical training of the guardians there is emphasis on their morality which is indeed something philosophers strive for.  Although Plato and Socrates have contrasting opinions on this matter. Socrates mentions he is no expert on virtue, while Plato is keen on knowing what type of knowledge is necessary in order for one to become a ruler. In addition socrates is, more concerned about the deeper meaning and the universal truths. Also, a small city would exhaust itself it all of its components, whereas a large city would be too difficult to discipline. Due to this, rulers are put in place to ensure that cities are a perfect size and there is division of the labour amongst the citizens.

    What characterizes a good ruler in order for the outcome to be the overall good of the city? Indeed one must make decisions for the benefit of their people and the society as a whole, which is basically conventional morality. A good ruler must rule out of necessity and duty and rather not because they desire to rule. Socrates believes that justice is fundamental and one must comply, though just did not grant one reward rather provides them with a more fulfilling and ethical lifestyle. Importantly, this means individuals can be happy and good if they are brought up in a just city. Plato says “ virtue is not brought by knowledge alone. Justice in the soul can only be achieved if a certain class is in charge” this conveys the idea that philosophers would be sufficient in the ruling of a city. In conjunction with the idea of rulers making the best decisions for the city, the ‘myth of the metals’ or also known as the noble lie comes into play. Socrates describes this as the earth creating individuals into different metals from gold,silver a d bronze; philosophers obtaining the gold while the workers would have bronze, this represents the hierarchy of the city. Since the guardians were at the top of the hierarchy, they are able to lie to the citizens if it means that it will protect them. This is a way of showing that in order for a city to be prosperous, ultimately there need to be rulers that can make decisions for the benefit of the society as a whole.

    Socrates puts forth the notion of alternatives vs the rational capacity of the soul; one’s appetite and being ‘hungry’ depends on the circumstances of the situation. Indeed all of the citizens of the city will not possess a just soul, because the inhabitants have an appetite. For this reason, there must be guardians in place to maintain the city considering common citizens do not have rational thought and reason. Philosophers would be the epitome rulers on the grounds that their education supersedes the education and rationale of the commoners. Additionally, the Forms coincide with material things while giving shape to material reality, along with providing a form to virtue. Philosophers are able to comprehend this World of the Forms in a way where the rest of society can only recognize the false reality of the material world, by cause of this only philosophers would be able to distinguish between the good and the bad. In the Sun in the Sky analogy presented by Socrates, the sun is what illuminates the reality of the world which allows one to see the world as it is and to see the good.

    In the Allegory of the Cave, it is based on the idea that when an individual is in the cave their knowledge is limited, and when one is out they are free and knowledgeable. Through this journey outside the cave explains how one flourishes spiritually and mentally. In Plato’s perspective, this allegory explains how one is educated if one is able to turn around from the reflections in the cave and find the light displays that they would be more educated. In the cave, the shadows and sounds are perceived as real, though it is created by the fire and others holding objects in order to create a certain image. This aids one to understand that in order for an individual to turn around and begin their journey, they must have obtained a certain level of education. In addition, considering that not many people would attempt the journey out of the cave, so the ones that do will fully recognize and distinguish between reality and false reality.

    To sum up, one can easily recognize the difference between the education of the philosophers and the commoners. Since philosophers are able to understand the Forms and grasp the difference between reality and false reality, it makes sense for those who can make rational decisions for the city. Commoners simply can not comprehend the complexity of the Forms and by virtue of this, simply are not able to be rational about the decision that they will make. Through the discourse, one Socrates understand why Plato portrays this idea, hence an individual that obtains a higher level of education

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